I Remember You
by wannabewriter25
Summary: The love of his undead life died 5 yrs ago. And for 5 yrs he's been waiting for her return. After 5 yrs of waiting, he sees the impossible. She stands in the doors of Fangtasia. She's returned to him. He wanted to hold her; his friend, his wife, his lover. She only stares at him and says, "Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse." She doesn't remember him. He dies once again. Will she remember?
1. Chapter 1

**I Remember You**

**All Characters belong to Charlaine Harris.**

**I just want to play with the characters.**

**I would like to apologize to everyone first off. I let my daughter use my fan-fiction page and she deleted my story. She said that she thought that I was letting her have my account. So, instead of making her own page, she deleted my story. For those of you that had alerts to the story and had favorite, I apologize. If you all forgive me, please read this story. I have changed my password and my child has made her own page. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy. If you do, please review and let me know what you think.**

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><p>When Dr. Ludwig walked out of the room, she met Niall and Bill waiting for her. They both looked at her; waiting to hear the news. Her eyes left their faces for a fleeting moment and if they had looked away, they would have missed it. She looked sadly at the two 'men'. She never thought that she would see the day when a vampire and a fairy would stand together, even if the time was a tragic one.<p>

She shook her head sullenly. "She's waiting." She stepped to the side and motioned for them to go into the room. She kept her head down the entire time. She could not bear to look into their eyes.

When they entered the room, Niall and Bill had to catch their breaths. Niall stood at the foot of the bed; placing his hand on her foot. He was sending her his essence in order to ease her pain and to make the journey an easier one. He played the role of the strong grandfather well though his heart was breaking; no it was shattering. He loved her more than he thought possible; enough to do anything for her without expecting anything in return. Her happiness is all that he has ever wanted but this, watching her die, was more than he could handle. He never expected to feel such pain. He hated to admit it but he didn't feel this way when he'd lost his son.

Bill slowly walked to the side of her bed and kneeled down. She was covered in bandages. Her eyes were black and swollen; almost swollen shut but he knew that she could see him, feel him. Though there were bruises on her face and her arms, she was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her chest was rising and falling so slowly that it terrified him. When she rolled her head to face the man that she once loved so dearly, he gripped her hand into his, bloody tears fell from his cool brown eyes. He rested his head on hers as he cried for her softly.

She took her hand from him and began caressing his head. She was doing her best to soothe his pain when she was suffering with her own. When he looked up at her, she gave him the same smile that she bestowed upon him when they'd first met at Merlotte's.

"My dear, sweet Bill," she said to him softly. Her blue eyes glittered through the swollen slits as she looked at him. Her voice was faint but he heard her just the same. "You know that I love you."

"Sookie," he said with a choked voice. "I have failed you … yet again. I fought and fought for you but it was too little, too late." He would never have done such things for another human but he owed Sookie everything. She made him remember his humanity. She made him feel like a man when everyone else saw him as a monster. She taught him that he was able to love again. She had given him the greatest of gifts and he had only ever caused her pain.

Stroking his head, Sookie gave him a weak smile. "You've never let me down Bill. Even when I hated you, I knew that you would always be there for me. You've always been there for me. You're my knight in shining armor. No matter what happens, you must remember that; even if I don't remember you."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed and said, "That doesn't matter. When I'm gone, you'll have to be strong and carry on as you always have."

When he looked at her, sobs of pain escaped his tortured body. "Don't leave me Sookie."

Only a smile.

"Make me a promise Bill."

He looked at her; only nodding.

"Promise?" she said. A nod was not good enough. She had to hear him say it.

"Anything," he barely whispered.

"You won't meet the sun?"

Bill sobbed even harder. She was taking his only source of comfort. His body filled with pain and remorse at the thought of walking this world forever without ever seeing her again. He would have to remember the bad things that he had done to her for all eternity. The memories of how he had hurt her were the only memories that he would have forever. He would have to live with the memories of how he had failed her time and time again. She kept stroking his head through his pain.

"There were good memories too Bill."

He looked her startled. She read his mind.

"The bad parts were just mistakes. We can't hold onto to the bad. If that's how we live our lives, we'll never be happy. We just have to let it go. Don't you want to be happy? I'm happy. I want you to be happy. I want you to love again. I want you to smile again. I want you to live again. You can do that for me by making this promise to me. Will you promise me?"

Niall kept his hand on Sookie's foot; tears falling from his beautiful eyes.

A flash of pain rushed through her body. She stiffened and winced. Her breathing became shallower. Tears fell from her eyes. She squeezed his hand as the pain ravaged her body.

"Do you need Dr. Ludwig?" Bill asked as he stood quickly; still holding onto Sookie's hand.

She could barely shake her head no. Her eyes stayed closed and the pain was evident as it took over her face.

"I promise Sookie."

The room then fell silent. Only the faint sounds of Sookie's breathing could be heard. For the next few minutes she held on. She had to hold on. She wanted to see him one last time. She knew that something bad was happening to him. She could feel it. It was not her pain that she was concerned about. It was his. When Niall came for her, Eric was being detained. She could hear him calling her name over and over again.

He was begging for her to hold on. _'Please wait for me_,' she heard him call out.

She waited.

The time had come.

He had come.

"Eric," she whispered. She opened her eyes fully for the first time. She had to see her husband. Her lover, her warrior, her protector; he appeared at the door. He was as handsome as ever. Love filled her heart. "I waited for you."

With tender love and care, Eric was instantly in bed with her and holding her in his arms. He stroked her head as he kissed her. "My beloved," he whispered; his cool breath felt soothing against her bruised, hot cheek. "I'm here now. It's over."

She settled into his arms and leaned her head onto his chest. She always loved it when he would cradle her in his arms. That is where she always felt safest …in his arms. "Good. I knew that you'd come. I knew that nothing would keep you from seeing me." Her warm tears fell onto his chest.

With great care, Eric pulled her closer to him. "I'm so sorry, my beloved."

With all of the energy that she could muster, she lifted her head to look into his beautiful blue eyes. She put her hand on his cheek and kissed his perfectly soft lips. Her Viking, her warrior, her protector; her everything; he'd made everything better. He always made everything so much better.

Eric brushed his lips across her forehead as he felt the life slowly leaving her body. The soul that he loved so much would soon be gone. The jokes that they shared would no longer be funny. When he would remember them, they would only make him miss her even more. He had no one that he could share his nights with. He would no longer smell the sun in her hair or on her perfectly tanned body. One of his greatest joys would soon be gone. His only love was leaving him.

He kept looking into her eyes. He wanted her to drink from him. It took more willpower than he thought possible to not force her to drink from him. He could make her drink but she would hate him and that is a punishment that he could not stand to bear. As he looked at her, he remembered his promise. Bloody tears fell onto her face.

Wiping the tears from her husband's face, she said, "Don't cry for me, baby." Bill was standing behind Eric. Niall was still standing at the foot of the bed with his hand lovingly on her foot. "You've made me so happy."

They were supposed to have forever. There was so much more for them to do together. There were places they'd never been. She'd never seen his homeland. It's not time. She can't leave.

"Don't leave me."

"Don't meet the sun." She kissed him again, this time her eyes were closed. "Pam needs you. I need for you to be strong." Her breaths were becoming slower and slower. "Promise me Eric."

He only looked at her.

"Tell Pam that I love her. Tell Jason. Tell Sam that I forgive him."

He only looked at her.

Sookie opened her eyes and looked deeply into his. Sorrow and sadness filled her. "Promise me, Eric." She had fear on her face because she could see that he had planned to meet the sun that very morning. "Please, don't meet the sun."

How could he say no to the woman that has loved him despite the many problems that they've had? How could he say no to her when she'd made so many sacrifices for them? How could this be the last time that he looks into those blue eyes? How could it be possible that he would never hold her in his arms again? How could he tell her no?

Still looking at him, blinking back the tears, she waited. "Please."

"I promise."

A relieved sigh escaped her mouth as a small smile appeared on her face. Her small hand was still on his face. She lovingly stroked his face and looked into his eyes. She wanted to drown in those eyes. She loves him. Her heart was aching because she waited too long to prove just how much.

Her blue eyes were fading and he could feel the life leaving her. He felt that part of himself which was Sookie, slowly dying. Her eyes were taking him in; every crease, every smile. She was taking every story with her, every kiss, and every touch. It was almost as if she was trying to take all of the memories that were of them with her. The small hand slowly fell from his face and landed onto his chest. Bill moved in quickly and kneeled at her side. She looked down at Bill and gave him one last smile.

Bill raised his eyebrows and looked her as if to ask, _'Are you leaving?_'

She only looked at him with that same smile on her face that she'd given him only a short time ago. She looked at Niall, who stood at the foot of the bed silently. He gave his granddaughter a smile and a nod. Sookie returned her attentions back to Bill and nodded. Bill's body slumped to the floor as his tears flowed freely.

She returned her eyes to Eric. She swallowed before she spoke. "My dear husband; I've always loved you. I'm so sorry." She smiled at him one last time and closed her eyes. Her breaths were faint. Her chest was barely moving.

Eric held her tightly to his chest as if he was trying to push her inside of himself. He rocked her back and forth. "Don't leave me, Sookie. I love you." He held her away from him and kissed her.

Her last breath was one simple word, "Eric."


	2. Chapter 2

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 2**

**All characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just love them playing with them.**

**I want to let you all know that most of the story will be told by Eric's point of view. He is the shell of the hard vampire that he used to be. His every thought is occupied by his friend, his lover and his wife. So it may be a little angst-y, so keep the Kleenex if you are prone to tears. It won't stay this way for too long ... well I don't think it will. I hope that you all enjoy.**

**The chapters that are set in the present will be told in present tense so that we can get a 'feel' of what Eric and Sookie are feeling. The chapters that will based on their past will be told in the past tense. I wanted to give the story a different feel that other stories.**

**Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, alerting to, and making my story one of your favorites. I did not expect the responses that I got and it makes me want to update for you all as soon as possible. Thank you so much.**

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><p>Tonight was just another night. It was no different than the many nights before. Since the night of her death, time has stopped for me. Nothing ever changes. Everything stays the same. Each fangbanger looks alike. The blondes, the brunettes and the redheads; they have no differences. They are all the same. There was nothing about them that made them stand out. Their faces were one. They had no personalities. They are weak. They are ...nothing.<p>

There was nothing to do but to look out into the sea of the sad, desperate, and nameless faces of the humans that I have no intentions of ever knowing or even trying to get to know. Each night, I stare straight ahead as I sit on my throne in the middle of a bar that I have grown to hate.

I _hate_ this bar.

I _hate_ the fangbangers.

I _hate_ the vampires that come to me looking for favors.

Night after night, all I can think is that maybe I will leave the area. I have many places to go. Every night, I say that I will discuss the idea of leaving with Pam. I have to get away. I am sick of it all. If I had never made that promise I would not be sitting here feeling … nothing but hate and regret. I used to hate feeling those feelings. I want to feel what I felt before. I miss those feelings. Almost more than anything, I long for them. I long for her.

Fangbangers approach me every night; night after night after night. What they want, I cannot and will not give to them. Night after night after night they leave looking dissatisfied and feeling disappointed. I belong to only one. I used to laugh at the vermin but no more. They no longer amuse to me. Take earlier tonight for instance. A red haired woman stood in front of me. She professed her love and admiration. I never even looked at her face.

I looked past her and I said, "Get the fuck away from me." I didn't even see her leave. I returned my attentions to the door. Looking at the door is a nightly ritual that I have done since Sookie was taken from me.

Every night, I look at the door of Fangtasia and hope that her death was just a dream and that one night, she will walk in and see me waiting for her. Her eyes will never leave mine. She'll have a smile on her face that would break any vampire's or man's heart. She'll give me a sweet wave as she walks to me. She'll have on a billowy dress; yellow, a summery yellow. Her hair would fall over her shoulders and when she reaches me, she'll throw her arms around my neck. She'll kiss me and tell me that she missed me all day. I will touch her face and tell her over and over again to never leave me and how I'm never going to let her go. I'll bury my face in her hair and I will then inhale the sweetness that is Sookie. I will be soothed by the sounds of her heartbeat and her sweet giggles as I nuzzle her neck. She'll laugh at me and tell me that I am being silly. She'll say that nothing is ever going make her leave me. She'll call me baby and hug me all night long.

I wish that I could hear her call me _'baby'_ just once more.

She'll then tell me that she loves me and then we'll share. We'll share everything; her day, my night, our love, our bodies. But it never happens. Even though it never happens, I never stop looking at the door. Tonight was just like last night and the night before that and the many nights before.

She didn't come.

I looked at the entrance and I could see that Pam was looking just as bored as I was; if not more. She detested and loathed being used as a sideshow but she knew that she was needed; not for Fangtasia but to make sure that I didn't meet the sun. She was going to make certain that I kept my promise to Sookie. Pam knew what I was going through; what I was feeling. Our grief and heartache make us equals; not in status but in love. She babysits me as much as I consent to. I am appreciative of that and I made sure that she knows it.

As I thought about her, she turned and winked at me and then returned her focus back to the things that she so lovingly calls her vermin.

After a short time, Pam came to sit with me on the platform. For the next two hours, I sat with her by my side and we watched the activities of the bar. We watched as the fangbangers milled in and out. They were either on the arm of a vampire or they left alone.

The bartender, Immanuel, was working away at mixing the drinks and keeping the vermin and vampires happy. He was a great addition to the bar and he brought Pam gratification. Immanuel was the brother of Pam's now dead lover, Miriam. He only works on Mondays and Tuesdays because he owns a beauty salon in Monroe and those are his days off. The rest of his days keep him pretty busy. From my understanding he makes a very good living at doing what he does. Pam said that he needed the money but I know the truth.

She needs him.

Thalia and Maxwell Lee were guarding the door. Indira and two new human waitresses (I never bothered to learn their names) were waiting tables. Different vampires were scattered throughout the bar. They had to be a part of the scenery as repayment of favors or to live in my area. Some of them didn't like the idea of being put on display but that's the price that they had to pay to stay in Louisiana.

As Pam and I talked, Thalia came to us in a rush. She looked from me to Pam. She looked as if she was lost. I had never seen her look like that before. The small vampire has always been very cool and merciless. She has always made it a point to never show emotion. She has always been bad-mannered, hot tempered, and she takes great pride in scaring the humans. I've always believed that was the only thing that kept her coming to the bar each night. Sookie used to say …never mind. It didn't matter what she used to say.

For some reason, the humans love Thalia. Many of them are devoted to her because of her rudeness and her intolerance of them. They've even gone so far as to make a website dedicated to her. There's even a reward for the human that catches her smiling. It never happens. She always has a sullen look on her face. But tonight she looked almost afraid.

Thalia looked from me to the door and back to me again. I looked at the door but there was nothing there but a crowd of useless humans looking for a place to sit. I was sure that if there had been an attack that she and Maxwell would have been more than capable of handling it. Her mouth was hanging open.

"Master," she said over and over again. She didn't move. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she should stay or go.

I looked at Pam. She had a smirk on her face. Pam was enjoying Thalia the Spectacle formerly known as Thalia the Bitch. Needless to say, she and Thalia don't get along. They were only civil to each other when Sookie was here. Pam was enjoying Thalia's fear and distress. I have to admit, I found it a bit entertaining myself; a normally callous and cold-blooded Thalia was now a speechless and terrified mess?

Priceless

"Maybe a human has won that $10,000.00 reward by taking a picture of her smiling and they got away before she could stop them. She'll never live it down. I will not let her." Pam hadn't smiled like that since …

While I laughed at Pam, I heard it. From the look on her face, Pam heard it too. We looked at each other but quickly turned our attentions back to the door.

"Is my money not good enough for your bar? I only came here to get a drink after a long, hard day at work. Why you are standing there staring at me? What?"

I saw the silhouette of the person as she took a step back; her arms were out by her side.

"Compared to the people that you've allowed to go in, I would be the best customer you've ever had. I'm decently dressed. I'm really a great person. Honest. Normally, I'm nice and respectful but I'm feeling a bit insulted because you won't let me in!"

When that didn't work she tried a different tactic; passivity.

"Come on; I am not a bad person. I won't cause any trouble." Her voice was now dripping with false sweetness. "So, what do you say? Hmmm; let a sweet southern girl come on in and have drink. Please. I _really_ need a drink."

I looked at Pam and then back at the door. I stood tall and there she was.

"Here look," she said as she began searching through her purse. She pulled out her wallet and showed Maxwell Lee her driver's license. "Here is my ID. See? I am twenty-five years old. I am of legal age. You won't get arrested by letting me in. You won't lose your liquor license. Your biting privileges won't be revoked. Come on please let me in." She waggled her blond eyebrows at him.

"Is it her?" Pam asked; still seated.

I couldn't speak. If I'd had a heartbeat, it would have stopped and I would have died right there on the spot.

Maxwell Lee never said a word. He never moved or shifted from his position. He was speechless.

The southern spitfire lit into him again. The sweetness was gone. If I wasn't so surprised, I would have laughed. "Well are you going to let me in or not? If you're not going to let me in, I want to see your manager or either the owner. I want to know why I can't come in."

I knew what is coming next. I had seen her in that position many times before. She had used it on me more times than I care to count. Her hands were on her hips and she was patting her foot; waiting for Maxwell to let her in or bring the manager to her.

"Go on. I'm waiting." She was giving him the flick of her hand as if she was shooing away an irritating insect.

Before I knew it, I was knocking fangbangers out of the way. They were falling to left and to the right of me. I had to get to the fucking door. I needed to see her eyes. I would have known those eyes anywhere. It literally took me years to reach the fucking door. The more fangers that I pushed to the side, more of them seemed to appear out of nowhere.

At last I was standing behind Maxwell Lee and I saw up close and personal what I should not have been seeing.

Sookie

She looked up at me with those heart breaking eyes. I could see her soul, her personality, her life. I could see the dream that has haunted me for so long. She had not been tortured. No choices had to be made. She was not bruised and beaten. She is not dead. She is standing there under the fluorescent lights of the entryway to Fangtasia and she looks … breathtaking.

Her skin is flawless. Her eyes are bluer than I've ever seen them. Her hair is as blond as I'd ever known it to be; blonder even. It cascades over her beautiful shoulders and down her bare back. That beautifully tanned body is covered in a little strapless yellow sundress; the summery dress that I've dreamed of seeing her in. Her beautiful breasts are barely peeking over the top of the bodice. I know that they smell of Obsession. They always smelled of Obsession. Her arms, the arms that I have longed to be held in, are tone and beautiful and empty without me in them. Her legs, those legs that have been wrapped around my waist at least a million times are still beautiful and shapely. Her toes perfectly painted a soft yellow to match the fingernails on her delicate fingers and beautiful summery dress. I remembered that those are the fingers that use to tenderly stroke my face and braid my hair. Those pouty lips were begging for me to kiss them. Those are the lips that made me weak in the knees with just the slightest brush of them on any part of my body.

She licked her lips.

Oh, those lips and that tongue. I wanted to feel her tongue touch the tips of my fangs. Her face is as beautiful as it's always been. But what captivates me are those eyes. The very first time I met her, those eyes could see right through me. They are the eyes that I have always yearned for.

At last, I'm whole again.

She turned her attentions back to Maxwell; mad as hell. She was the Sookie that I met here so long ago when she was with Bill. She was about to light into him once more but there was no use. There was no need to argue.

"Let her in," I said.

She looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you," she said as pleasantly and as demurely as she always had when she met someone new. Her anger vanished and she smiled at Maxwell Lee. She handed him the cover charge and gave him a triumphant smile. He stepped out of her way so that she could walk back into my life. I couldn't believe what I was seeing; what I was feeling. She is home. My dear, sweet Sookie is home.

"I do apologize," Maxwell said to her as she began to walk inside. He took a step towards her. He looked as if he wanted to hug his old friend. He looked as if he wanted to tell her how much he missed her but he said nothing. Just like the rest of us, he said nothing.

"So do I; for raising my voice. I was wrong." She touched his arm and gave him a genuine smile. For a second a hint of something ran across her face but just as quickly as it was there, it was gone. "I had a bad day and should not have taken it out on you."

He only nodded. His eyes followed her as she walked in. He had always had a soft spot in his heart for her. I could see that it was still there.

She walked past me and she brushed against my arm. Electricity flowed through me because of that one touch. She looked up at me and caught my gaze.

She felt it too.

She had to have felt it.

"Excuse me." She turned from me as she went to sit at the bar.

She didn't feel it.

She didn't remember me.

It didn't matter. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

Just as I suspected, she didn't fawn over me as the others usually do. It was as if I am just any other vampire. That was what made me want her; her fight, strength of mind, bravery, and her compassion.

I want her. I've always wanted her.

Smoothing down the back of her dress, she gracefully sat at the bar and waited for her turn to be served. She spoke to everyone and anyone that looked her way; be it human or vampire. She has always made vampires feel as if they are no different than humans. That's what drew most of us to her. Take these two vampires tonight; for example.

A couple of vampires had the audacity to approach her. Telling her how lovely she is, asking if they can sit with her if only for a little while, asking her if they could buy her a drink. They would have loved to be given the opportunity to be in her presence this evening. They told her that she was the most beautiful creature that they've seen all night. It is true but she will not be theirs.

Only loud enough for them to hear me, threateningly I said, "She is mine."

The vampires looked my way and they acknowledged my words. They heard the warning and the promise in my voice; the promise of death if they so much as brush against her. They bowed to her and then to me ever so slightly and walked away. She looked at them confused and shrugged her shoulders. She turned back to the bar and waited.

She shouldn't have to wait. If he does not wait on her...!

Immanuel finally made his way over to take her order. I wondered if she would recognize him or if he would recognize her. He had to cut her hair for her when it was burned during an attack on Merlotte's. If she remembered him then she would have to remember me.

"What will you have, beautiful?" Immanuel said with a wink. It didn't matter if he winked at her. He wasn't interested in Sookie. He is more interested in the guy sitting at the other end of the bar. He is promised another day.

_Gin and tonic_, I thought to myself. _She'll have a gin and tonic._

"Gin and tonic," she said.

"Had a long day?" he asked her.

"You wouldn't believe my day," she said.

_I want to hear about your day. I want to share your day with you. I want to hold you as you straddle me and lean your head against my shoulder. We don't have to make love. Please, just let me hold you. I want to feel your heart beating against my chest as I hold you. I want to hear your sweet southern voice speaking softly in my ear. I want to hear you laugh when I tell you the funny stories of the sad, desperate, and nameless fangbangers that come in here night after night after night. I want to hear about the people that you've met and the thoughts that you've heard today. I want to make you feel better. I want to hear your jokes; even the ones that are not funny. I promise that I will laugh this time. Please, share your day with me._

She took a sip and sighed.

How I wish to be that glass.

She held her glass up to Immanuel and said, "I needed this. Thank you." After one last sip, she introduced herself to the bartender. "By the way, I'm Sookie Stackhouse." She offered the bartender her hand.

She's Sookie Northman. She's my wife.

"Immanuel," he said, "Just plain old Immanuel."

"Good to meet you just plain old Immanuel."

"Same here Sookie Stackhouse." They shook hands and talked as only strangers would.

Suddenly my feet began to move without my knowledge. I am going to go to her. Just one more touch and I will be happy for the rest of the night. Someone grabbed my arm. I looked down at the black fingernails; Pam.

Pulling me back to her, Pam asked, "It's really her, isn't it?" Her startled look brought me back to reality. She was not the only one standing behind me and staring at the one we've all missed so much. Maxwell Lee, Thalia, and Indira all stood and looked as surprised as Pam and I did.

Inhaling and holding her scent in for as long as I could, I nodded. "My wife," was all that I could think to say.


	3. Chapter 3

**I Remember You**

**Flashback #1**

**Chapter 3**

**You all are absolutely fantastic. Your reviews and your support keep me motivated. I appreciate the favorites and the alerts that you all have done. Even if you don't review, I want you to know that I appreciate that you have taken the time to read this story. I will do my best to try and post at least 2 chapters per week if time permits. If I am not able to, I will let you all know. I love that you like the story and I really, really hope that you like where I take you. This is what I would love for our favorite vampire and human/fae couple.**

**There will be flashback chapters periodically to let you know how Eric and Sookie's relationship ended with her death and then she suddenly returns. This flashback is set back during the time of them killing Victor Madden. It's been a couple of weeks since the killing and Sookie has decided that she needs some time away from Eric to do some thinking. Needless to say, our favorite blond piece of meat is not too happy with this. He's as impatient as he's ever been. Let's just see what he was doing during that time.**

**I hope that you all enjoy.**

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><p>My wife …<p>

My lover …

My best friend …

She was actually sitting in front me. I could smell her. I could reach out and touch her. If I closed my eyes, I could hear only her heartbeat. Sookie, my dearest heart; she was sitting in front of me laughing and talking. She was here. She's not dead. My wife is not dead.

I watched as Sookie talked with Immanuel. Watching her caused so many thoughts of our time together take over my mind but the most prevalent thought was of the conversation that we'd had only a few weeks after our battle with Victor. That was the conversation that changed our lives forever.

_**(Three weeks after their victory over Victor Madden; Eric sat in his office with his feet propped up on his desk; leaned back with his hands interlaced behind his head.)**_

I hadn't heard from Sookie in three weeks. She hasn't been around. None of my vampires have seen her; other than the ones she deemed worthy to be in her presence. Since she had not come to me, I decided that I needed to take matters into my own hands.

During that time of abandonment (yes abandonment; that is what she's done to me), I'd told Bill that I needed for him to go to her. I needed him to watch and to protect her. As any concerned husband would do, I sent him to her home and to Merlotte's to keep watch her. That was my plan. As I should've known, she'd planned something totally different.

She wouldn't speak to him and she wouldn't let him enter her home. He said that she'd rescinded his invitation. Bill also said that she'd told Sam to tell Bill to leave when he would come to Merlotte's on the nights that she worked. He said that he when that happened, he would wait outside. He would wait for her to leave work and then he would follow her home. He would sit on her porch and to no surprise to me he said that she would walk right past him as if he wasn't there.

No hello.

No good night.

No nothing.

She didn't acknowledge his presence with any type of verbal greeting. She would leave him a blood on the porch and then she would go inside.

So what I did was take it upon myself to start calling her and going to her house. She'd quit answering my calls and she'd even rescinded _my_ invitation. _My_ wife rescinded _my_ invitation. I may have overreacted a bit and I may be a bit domineering but she had to understand. What was I supposed to do? She hadn't spoken to me in three weeks. She had broken the bond. I could no longer feel her if she was in danger. Rescinding my invitation was a bit much. Her stubbornness caused me to send vampires to her home each night. I was hoping that she would realize that I was sending them to protect her. It was for her own good. Everything that I've ever done has been for her well being.

One night, she'd left me a message; during daylight hours no less, stating that she had one of the local insurance salesmen ward her house against all vampires until further notice ... well not all vampires. Pam and Bubba were allowed to come over if they didn't tell me anything. So, naturally I sent Pam and Bubba to keep an eye on her. Bill tried to talk his way in but she said no. I knew that no matter what I did or said, Bubba would not betray Sookie under any circumstances. The only way Pam would watch over her was if she did not have to betray Sookie's confidence.

I thought about that and reluctantly, I agreed. With the problems that we were having with Felipe's rogue vampires and Freyda, Vampire Queen of Oklahoma, I needed to keep Sookie protected. We still hadn't had our meeting with Felipe about what happened. I had to protect her. Pride be damned. In the end, Pam and Bubba were my only 'contact' with my wife. As expected, I continued to call her.

Nothing

Almost four weeks later, I called her upon rising. Her voicemail recording was, _'If this is Eric, I'll call you when it's time and not until then'_**,** but she did tell Pam to tell me that she would call me soon.

It angered me that she would go through Pam instead of talking directly to me. Why did she feel that she could not talk to me? The woman has always pushed me beyond my limits. She frustrated me to no avail. I was so agitated that I punched holes in my office walls. She was the most frustrating woman that I have ever met in all of my existence!

"I am her husband! She should have called _me_!"

"She chose not to call you. She has sent the message by me."

Sookie brought the best and the worst of my emotions out of me. I was never one to show my emotions until meeting her. She is the most irritating and the most aggravating woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was never protective of anyone other than myself and my child. Then Sookie came into my life and changed everything and now _she_ expects _me_ to wait?

"She will talk to me now! I'm going to her and she _will_ see me!"

Pam looked at me with a smirk on her face, shaking her head. "Have you learned nothing about her? Don't go there acting an ass, Eric. Give her the time that she is asking for. You will lose her if you go there showing that temper of yours."

"She is my wife."

Without saying another word, Pam shrugged her shoulders and left my office. Knowing that Pam was right, I did as Sookie wanted; I waited.

Time has not been good to me these past few weeks. I cannot stand to wait. I've waited for over a thousand years but I could not wait a day, a week, a month or even a year for a human woman to decide my fate in her life! This was torture for me. I don't know if she is safe or not. I don't know if she is going to stay with me. I don't know if she has decided if she still loves me. I don't know if she is going to tell me that she wants a '_divorce_'. I hated to have to admit that I don't know anything.

Every night I look at the time and I wait for her. I have never been one to watch a clock. I looked at the clock one last time and I couldn't take it anymore. Tonight was the night. She was going to have to make a decision. It had been over a month. She has had more than enough time to decide what she wants to do.

Just as I was about to go to Bon Temps, she called me. She didn't give me a chance to speak before she said what she had to say. "I am on my way to Fangtasia, Eric. We need to talk."

I hated it when she said that we needed to talk. I readied myself to speak but before I could say one word, I heard the dial tone. I fell back onto my chair and I knew what was coming. She was going to leave me. When I'd viciously bitten into her neck the night that we killed Victor, my harshness and disregard for her feelings helped her in making her decision. I recall asking Pam if I'd scarred her. She assured me that I hadn't.

I didn't mean physically.

Now I knew why she had not spoken to me in over a month. She wanted to take the time to figure out a way to break it to me. It was a mistake that I cannot take back and I will forever regret it.

As I waited for her in my office, I paced back and forth for the next hour or so. I looked at the clock once more. She should have been here. I called the shifter and he said that she left an hour after they'd closed.

Where are you Sookie?

I even closed Fangtasia early and sent the humans home. Only my closest and most trusted vampires were allowed to stay. We could at least have had a semblance of privacy. I had taken the necessary steps so that we could talk undisturbed. So where in the hell was she?

I stormed from my office to see if Pam had heard from her and I see that she had. Sookie was sitting at the table with Pam, Bill, Bubba, Thalia, Indira, and Maxwell Lee. They were laughing and talking as if they didn't have a care in the world. That made me even angrier. I had been sitting in the office for the last hour waiting for her and she made _me_ wait while she kept my staff company.

Pam felt my anger. She turned around and looked me. To Sookie, she said, "Uh-oh, he is mad."

They all looked towards the hallway. They didn't matter to me. All of my attention was focused on Sookie. She stood as she looked at me. "This was fun guys. And Thalia, you need to work on your jokes. They would be funnier if you didn't look so mad while you were telling 'em." While Thalia considered the advice, Sookie walked past Bill and ruffled his hair. "And you need to stop with the knock, knock jokes. They are horrible."

Bill snorted. "You just don't know funny when you hear it." He sipped his blood and placed his hand atop Sookie's.

Once she had considered Sookie's suggestions, Thalia stayed true to form. "I have a reputation to uphold." Thalia then looked around the table at the other vampires and said, "Did you hear the one about the blood bag and the vampire?"

Bubba laughed and said, "Uh-huh. Tell it to me again." A big smile ran across his face. "This one is funny," he said to Pam.

Pam sat back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest. She looked as if she hadn't heard a good joke all night and considering how she felt about Thalia, she wasn't going to laugh at that joke either.

Sookie walked to me, shaking her head and smiling. When she reached me, I said to her, "You look beautiful." She didn't have on her Merlotte's uniform. She'd gone home to change. She had on a tight fitting lilac tee shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged every curve. I brushed her hair from her face. When she came closer to me, I was ready to go in for a kiss but that did not happen.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and started crying. The vampires looked in our direction but quickly turned away when I shot daggers at them. I stroked her hair and let her cry. I felt … sick; well as much as a vampire can get sick.

With her head on my chest, she told me again that we needed to talk. She looked up at me with the prettiest blue eyes that I'd ever seen and I saw it. She hadn't forgiven me for the bite. She was going to take Bill back. He was there for her when I was not. That is why she never sent him away when he would sit on her porch night after night to watch over her. She wanted him there. She needed him there because she couldn't depend on me.

Stiffly, I walked her to my office. She went to sit on the couch as I closed the door behind us. I closed it a little harder than I should have. She looked surprised.

"It slipped," was all that I could think to say. Even though I was upset and tense, I never let it show. I propped my feet upon my desk as I leaned my chair back and interlaced my hands behind my head. I waited for her to speak.

Looking around the office, she said, "I love what you've done to the walls. The holes make the room look bigger, more spacious." She held her head down as to hide a smile.

"I'm redecorating," I said. She laughed. I did my best not to laugh but I failed.

Finally, things started to get serious.

"Eric, there's something that I need to tell you."

She looked down at her hands nervously. I could smell it in the air. She was afraid of me. I have never wanted her to be afraid of me but after what I'd done to her, what else could I possibly expect? She was afraid of how I was going to react to what she was going to say. She was going to leave me.

I was wrong; I shouldn't have done that to you. I needed to tell her.

"Sookie, I need to apologize to you."

Her hand went up quickly. "I need to say this and you need to listen." She scooted to the edge of the couch and looked at me. "Since the first time we've met, we've had problems. The first problem is that I let Bill claim me as his when I wasn't. I love Bill but it was a mistake. He wasn't what I believed him to be. Bill abandoned me in Dallas but not you. You stayed with me.

"When Bill left me for Lorena, you knew it but you protected me from the truth as much as you could. You lost your memories and we were together …and I loved it. You stayed with me and you loved me when you weren't you. You _got_ your memories and then forgot about me. I didn't help matters any because I wouldn't tell you what you deserved to know about the time we'd spent together. I was being selfish. When I finally told you about our time as a couple and you still did not come back to me. I moved on because I assumed that you had. I moved on to Quinn …another mistake." She sighed when she said that.

Big mistake; I didn't say it out loud.

"Once again, you saved me. That time, we were in New Orleans and you saved me from the Weres. Then our bond became stronger. You and I had our most crucial blood exchange in Rhodes. Then we had to deal with Victor. That same night you recovered your memories on your own; you remembered where I kept my gun. After Victor left, you went into my bedroom and you remember everything we'd done and what we meant to each other. Before you left that night, you said to me that we would pick up from there. It took forever for us to pick up from there. I was lonely."

A sad look came over her face before she began speaking again.

"And then I finally got you back. That was the happiest night of my life. Then along came the fairies; the dreaded fairies. You saved me yet again and I was happy… or so I thought. Just so long as I had you, I was happy. I was so happy that I was confused. I assumed that you were making me feel what I was feeling. It was easier for me to say that it was you making me feel what I was feeling instead of facing the truth. So, I broke the bond. I would love to blame it all on Amelia but it was my decision. It was my fault. I made the choice. Then you told me, against your will I might add, that you have to marry another. You assumed that it would not hurt me if you had to marry somebody else since I always fought you on being called your wife. Well, it did hurt me. It does hurt me because you are mine."

I could tell that she was sincere in everything that she was saying. Her body language was telling me all that I needed to know. I wished so much that I could feel it. I wished that I could feel her.

"Then we killed Victor. Things happened that night that we can't take back." Absently, she touched her neck. She then looked at me and said, "But it's over and done with. Well, until we have to meet with Felipe." She shrugged her shoulders as if it was okay.

Really … Was she serious?

She patted the seat beside her. Instantly, I was at her side. She took my hand into her own and held it tightly. "I've made mistakes, Eric; many, many mistakes. I'm not going to make those same mistakes anymore. I need to make changes in my life. I need to take control of my life. I need to live for me. I need to be happy. I want to be happy."

My face was stone. My eyes filled with fury; icy fury. Sookie tried to ease my feelings because she placed her hand on my cheek.

"What are you saying Sookie?" I put my hand over hers and held it closer to my face. Over and over in my mind I kept saying 'Please don't let me be one of those changes'.

"I've sold my house and I've given Sam my two weeks' notice. Well, I gave him the notice a few of days after we killed Victor." She cleared her throat. "I have a month to move out. Eric, I'm leaving Bon Temps and all of the bad things with it."

She was leaving me. With coldness dripping from my voice, I asked her, "Are you saying that you're leaving me?"

She started laughing. She placed both hands on my face and she kissed the tip of my nose. "My silly, old vampire, that's not at all what I'm saying. I'm saying that I love you. I love you Eric Northman. I love you and I want to be with you."

My voice went deeper than normal. My accent was much more pronounced. "I love you." I looked at her intently. Before I knew it, my mouth had captured hers. She had wrapped her small arms around me and pressed her body to mine.

As I kissed my way down her neck, she ran her fingers through my hair. "Let's go home."

I looked at her and said, "Okay."

I walked over to my desk to get my keys. I needed to get enough clothes for the next few days. I decided that once we'd gotten to Bon Temps, we would discuss where she would be moving. Since she won't live with me, she may have already decided to move closer to me. There are a couple of houses for sale in my neighborhood that she may like. I would love to buy her a home close to mine.

"What are you doing?"

"You said that you wanted to go home," I said as I grabbed things from the closet. "I feel honored that you want to spend your last nights in your home with me."

"No, Eric. You don't understand. My home is with you. I want to go home with you."

Everything that I was holding fell to the floor. I turned slowly to look at her. My face was blank. I didn't know what to say or what to feel. After all of this time, she had finally decided to live with me. We are going to live as husband and wife. My expression must have meant something different to her because she looked away from me.

She looked down at the floor. "I can understand if you have changed your mind after all that has happened. I waited too late. I've lost you. It's my fault. I shouldn't ..." Tears streaked her face.

I kneeled in front of her before she could say anything else. "Look at me Sookie." When she did, I licked the tears away. "You've made me happier than I've ever been. I have not changed my mind. I want you. I've always wanted you. I will always want you."

She kissed me as she had never kissed me before. "Let's go home. We need to reform our bond."

At vampire speed, I had my wife in my arms. The other vampires only saw a blur when Sookie and I left for the night. While we were standing in the parking lot of Fangtasia, I felt peace for the first time in a long time. Sookie had her arms wrapped around my neck and she was happy. That was all that I'd ever wanted. One last kiss from my beloved and I was flying us to our home in Shreveport.

**A/N: So, what do you think?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 4**

**All characters belong to Charlaine Harris**

**I love that you guys are so into this story so far. I won't keep you wondering about how long it has been since she 'passed' on. There's just a lot of stuff going on at the moment, but it won't stay this way. There will be a few things that will happen in Fangtasia but a majority of the story will revolve around their new beginning. Most of the story will be Eric's PoV but there will be a couple that will belong to Sookie. For some parts of the story we will have to hear her side to understand how this happened.**

**This chapter brings us back to Fangtasia; the night of Sookie's miraculous return.**

**Again, I want to thank you all for all of the love and support you've been giving this story. Thank you for the reviews, favorites and alerts.**

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><p>I sent my vampires back to their respective posts so that I could think. Once, I was seated, I began to think of how I was going to approach her. I didn't want to be aggressive. She doesn't like that. I don't want to be presumptuous and force my company upon her. Many thought ran through my mind. Maybe I should wait for her to come to me.<p>

No … that won't work. Sookie would never approach me unprovoked. I've always had to make the first move. What if I wait and she just leaves without a trace? It is my only chance and I am not going to pass it up. If I had made her mine before Bill had, maybe things would be different. Then it dawned on me. The most obvious tactic was right before me. I had to use my past mistakes to my advantage. I have to go to her first. I have to use my most admirable qualities.

I knew what she wanted in her vampire; honesty, kindness, and compassionate. I never lied to her. I always had her best interests at heart. I would and I will always put her happiness before my own. My most important quality is that I love her. I had other attributes that worked in my favor. I am an excellent vampire. I am extremely handsome. I am powerful. I am wealthy. I am exceptionally intelligent. I have a powerful position in the vampire community. A woman such as Sookie deserves a vampire with my qualities and modesty. What more could she possibly need?

The next things that I have to consider are my faults but I could come up with nothing. No matter how I wracked my brain, nothing came to mind. There is but one conclusion.

I haven't any.

My positives definitely outweigh my negatives. My best qualities are going to be what helps me to get my wife back. But first, I have to remain calm. I can't approach her as if I am unsure of myself. I can't let her see me as a nervous wreck. A vampire of my importance cannot behave in such a manner. What if other vampires saw me in such a state? What if _she_ saw me in such a state? I can't let her see me like that. What would she think? I motioned for Indira to bring me a blood.

When she put it down in front of me, she said, "If I am not being too forward, I'd like to say that everything will be fine. She loved you before. She will love you again."

I only nodded. "Thank you for your words of support but I am not nervous."

Indira did her best not laugh. She bowed to me and quickly walked away. She'd been around Pam too long.

I took a swallow of the blood and tried to clear my mind. I inhaled unnecessarily. It is time to make my move. I am going to ask her to sit with me. I am going tell her that she will be granted the honor of being my special guest tonight. No... No ...that wasn't going to work. She would find that to be arrogant. That would work with the fangbangers and she is definitely not a fangbanger. I'll just invite her over and ask if she would like to keep me company. She has always liked conversation and sharing. That's what I'll do.

Before I make my move, I smooth down my shirt and smile. Sookie always loved to see me smile.

With a big smile plastered across my face, I stood to my full height. Several fangbangers assumed that I was smiling at them. They aren't worth my time. I wouldn't smile at them. I wouldn't let them wipe the shit from my shoes. I don't want them. I want my wife.

When I turn my attentions to the bar, she is no longer there. I nonchalantly look around for her. She isn't on the dance floor. She isn't talking to Immanuel; he was talking to the other bar patrons. She isn't talking to the vampires. Where is she? I tried to look inconspicuous but I failed. I began to panic. I felt almost frantic.

'Think Eric,' I said to myself. Then it dawned on me. I know exactly where she is.

The bathroom; she's in the bathroom. Human women have certain needs that they have to take care of in that particular room. I'll just pretend that I am heading to my office and we'll just so happen to bump into each other. Plan B was now in play.

When I turn around, she is standing behind me; with her back to me. It is almost as if she is trying to work up her nerve to speak to me. As I watch her, she exhaled and nodded her head. I heard her say"Okay, you can do this Sookie," in a small voice.

I couldn't help but to smile. She was just as nervous as I was.

"Thank him and leave. So what if he's handsome? You can go to him. Thank him and go home. That's what you're going to do." She nodded her head after her little speech and inhaled once more and turned around.

"You don't have to leave."

I expected her to jump but she didn't. Instead she said, "Thank you." She closed her eyes tightly.

I laughed a genuine laugh for the first time in many years. "What are you thanking me for, my lo… what is your name?"

She looked at me curiously for a moment. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse." She offered me her hand. Her sweet southern drawl captivated me just as it did long ago. "Thank you for talking to me. I mean for letting me come into your club." She rolled eyes and started mumbling. I heard her say the words nerd, dork, and shit. I did my best to hide my smile.

"I'm Eric Northman and you can come here anytime you want to. Your presence is always welcomed." I bowed to my queen. When I stood and looked into her eyes, her smile was there.

In return, she curtsied to me. "And again, thank you very much." When she released her dress, it fluttered delicately around her beautiful legs.

Motioning towards my personal booth, I ask her if she would care to sit with me. "I would love the company."

After thinking it over, she decided that it would be okay. "I'd love to."

With my hand on the small of her back, I lead her to my booth and offer her the seat across from mine. She looked so delicate and small as she slid into her seat. It's the seat that hasn't been occupied since she left.

"Thank you," she said once she was seated. She tapped her fingers nervously on the table and looked around. She then began to mindlessly rub her hands across the table. I have seen her do this many times when she's nervous.

When we were comfortably seated, Indira came over and asked, "Is there anything that you would like, Miss Stackhouse?"

She was looking into my eyes before she answered. I remembered the last time she looked at me like that. "A sprite would be fine," she said as she smiled up at Indira. Just as Indira left, her eyes were on my face once again. Her mouth was slightly open and I knew that there is something that she wanted to say but she decided against it.

A few seconds later, Indira returned with Sookie's soda and a fresh blood for me. She politely thanked the vampiress before Indira left. Once she was gone, Sookie took a sip of her Sprite. She looked at me over the top of her glass. When she set her glass down, she licked the remnants of the soft drink from her lips, she smiled. I had to make my fangs stay put but it was almost damned near impossible.

"Cold," she said.

"She can get you a drink with no ice." Before I was able to call for Indira, Sookie stopped me.

She smiled. "I apologize. I meant in here." She looked at her hands when she said that. "I'm cold."

"Do not apologize. We can make it warmer in here for you."

"You don't have to …"

"Nonsense," I interrupted. I then beckoned for Indira to come to me. I told her to adjust the thermostat to a suitable temperature of seventy-five degrees. "Will that be okay for you, Miss. Stackhouse?"

She took another swallow of her drink. "That will be fine, thank you." After a few seconds of comfortable silence, she asked, "So, how long have you owned this bar?"

Does she remember me?

"How did you know that I owned the bar?"

"Because your bouncer would not let me in until you told him that it was okay. I just assumed that it's yours." She looked around the bar. Her eyes latched onto Pam's. My child and my wife stared at each other for a long minute. It was as if she saw something familiar but she wasn't sure. "Does it belong to the pretty blond lady?"

"Pam and I are business partners. Though, I have a larger stake in the bar, she is an owner."

This time she laughed. "Stake?" she asks. "That's an interesting word choice for a vampire."

Her laughter and joy is all that I need to hear and see. There is so much life in her eyes; more than before. The memories of her are flooding my mind. Flashes of everything Sookie are flowing through me. When we were together, this was what I loved the most. Her verve was contagious. I have never felt what I feel when I'm with her.

"You are a breath of sunshine, Miss. Stackhouse."

Her eyes met mine for a split second, before she dropped them to her hands. She closed her eyes and obviously came to some resolve. She looked at me with a faint pink blush coloring her cheeks. She shook her head as she looked into my eyes. "What is about you Mr. Northman? Why do I feel that I know you?"

I leaned onto the table and gave Sookie one of my most devastating smiles and asked, "Whatever do you mean?" I winked at her and took a sip of my blood.

She stared at me as if there was something that she wanted to say but something stopped her. Sookie's attentions were focused on a redhead that was sitting at the table across from us. It was the redhead that approached me earlier tonight. She was staring daggers at Sookie. Sookie looked at the girl and shook her head. I heard her mumble the word _'pitiful'. _Sookie ignored the redhead and decided to watch the others as they walked by our table. There was no disguising the look on her face; disgust and shock. I wanted to ask her what she heard, but I held my tongue. She looked at the fangbangers and sighed.

Turning to me she said, "Back to my original question Mr. Northman. How long have you two owned this bar?"

That wasn't the question that I was looking for but it had to do. I'd talk about anything just to keep her with me a little longer. I went on to tell Sookie that I opened the bar quite awhile ago and how Pam came to help me.

"Pam dropped everything to come here to help me run the bar. She left her life in Minnesota to come here with me. Our goal was to 'mingle' with the humans. We studied and learned." With a sweep of my hand, I added, "We've conquered. Our hard work has paid off. We have succeeded in what we set out to do and we did it by working together. I wouldn't have been able to do this without her." I looked around the bar that I had earlier contemplated leaving and silently thanked myself for not doing so.

"You seem to have very strong feelings for her; a lot of love and respect, I mean. Have you two been together long?" She seemed to be holding her breath.

"We're not together in that way. We haven't been that way for quite some time. She is my child. That means that I am the one that made her vampire." When Sookie first learned how I made Pam a vampire, she was disgusted and it angered her that I'd '_killed_' Pam. How she reacts tonight tells me just how much she has changed.

She exhaled and smiled, "Oh," she said. "That's good to know. I mean it's good that you two can still be friends after being … you know." She took a quick sip of her drink and quickly asked, "Why a bar?"

"Well, when we made our existence known to the humans, the bar was an easy way for us to mainstream. Bars are a vessel that many humans use to interact with one another. It was the most obvious choice. They could see us interacting in a 'normal' human manner and this will allow them all to see that we are no different than they are. We just prefer different beverages." I pointed to the bottle of True Blood that I was drinking.

She let me ramble on and on about how important mainstreaming was for my kind. She listened to me as I told her of the different types of businesses that vampires own and operate so that we could be seen as productive members of society. She seemed to be interested in everything that I had to say. Just like before.

"May I ask you a question Miss. Stackhouse?"

"Yes."

"Why are you so comfortable around my kind? We have interacted with many humans and none of them are as comfortable as you appear to be."

She looked surprised that I would even ask her such a question. She looked almost offended. "Why wouldn't I be comfortable with you? You're no different than anyone else. We have different lifestyles. Yes, we do drink different drinks," she said as she pointed at her Sprite. "But there is really nothing for me to be afraid of. You should know that," she said as she looked away.

She does remember!

"Why should I know?" I asked a little too eagerly.

As she turned to look at me, she said, "If I wasn't comfortable, I wouldn't be sitting here with such a ... handsome man that just so happens to be a vampire." She hastily dropped her eyes and looked at her hands. She immediately looked up at me; determined not to be shy or embarrassed of what she has just said to me.

"So, you think I'm handsome?"

She laughed. "You're cute." When I laughed, she relaxed a little more.

"Well, I'd have to be in order to get such a compliment from such a beautiful young lady."

She barely spoke above a whisper, "Thank you."

No one can defy my charms. I knew right then and there that she would be mine.

"So, Miss. Stackhouse, since you just so happen to be sitting here with me, how did you come to hear of Fangtasia?"

She trailed her finger up and down the side of the sweating glass. "I didn't hear of Fangtasia. I was supposed to meet some co-workers at a bar called Merlotte's in Bon Temps. They were having a little to-do for someone that's having a baby. I was invited. Have you ever heard of either place?"

That's where you're originally from.

"I have," I said to her.

She didn't remember her hometown or where she used to work. What has happened to her to make her forget who she is and where she's from? Why is it possible that we, the vampires, can remember her but she can't remember us? Why can't Immanuel remember her? Why can't she remember him?

"Well, I have never heard of Bon Temps and I couldn't find it. I followed their directions to the letter but Merlotte's was not there. Each road that I turned onto was a dead end. I got tired of driving nowhere fast, that I decided that I was going to go home. On my way home, I found this place. But you know what?"

"What?" I asked shaking my head as I leaned across the table.

Mimicking my movements, she moved in closer to me; so close, that she had to stand. "I drove this same road to get to Merlotte's and this place was not here. There were no lights, no cars, and no bar. There was nothing." She sat back down and said, "What do you think about that?"

I sat back in my seat because I didn't know what to think. "Interesting," was the only thing that I could say.

"I know right?" she asked. She sighed and finished up her Sprite. Indira came over to freshen up Sookie's drink but she stopped her. "No, thank you. I do appreciate it though."

Indira smiled. "You are a breath of fresh air in this place." She nodded to Sookie and left.

"How much did you pay her to say that?" she asked. I had to laugh. The sight of this woman sitting in front of me, staring at me with those mesmerizing blue eyes, was enough to keep me happy for the rest of the night.

"You're too much Miss. Stackhouse."

"Call me Sookie."

"If you'll call me Eric," I said in return. I felt the grin form on my face before I could hide the way that she affected me. I looked in the direction of the bar and my vampires had gathered around and were watching us. I sent them a warning through Pam. They each went back to work but not before throwing a smile our way.

"You are a charmer … Eric."

No one has ever said my name the way she does. My fangs dropped when she said my name. I couldn't hide it nor could I stop it. I knew that the sight of my fangs would cause her to fear me. There was she was, meeting me for the first time and I dropped fang on her. With her saying my name, I may have ruined my chances with her forever.

Before I speaking to her again, I made sure to retract my fangs. "Please forgive me."

"You owe me no apologies," she said. "It is part of who you are." Her responding smile only made me love her more. Cocking her head to the side, she added, "I kind of like them. They give you an air of mystery."

I smiled at her kind words. "Sookie; you have a very beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Why have you never been here before?"

"I don't get out much." She sat back in the booth and slouched down. "I don't know what it means to relax. My life has always been so busy. It's been like this since college."

My wife never went to college. She always had problems with other people's thoughts invading her own. It made it hard for her to learn.

Still slouched in her seat and exhaling deeply, she said, "You know that this is the first time I've been out in months … feels like years. I really can't remember the last time." She stared at me as she slouched down in her seat some more. The way that she was studying my face was almost as if she was trying to remember me. After a minute or two, she said to me, "You know what burns my ass, Eric?" she asked as she improved her posture.

"What?" I asked surprised.

"A flame 'bout three feet high," she said in a mocking tone. She leaned onto the table as she rested on her elbows. "Why am I here with you? What is it about you? Have we ever met before? Why am I drawn to you?" Shaking her head, she said, "I don't know. I do know that I am _never_ this comfortable when I first meet someone. My grandparents would have had a fit; especially grandpa, if he could have seen me slouched down in my seat."

Grandpa; what did she mean grandpa? She'd always said that her Gran raised her. Her grandfather died years earlier. I was taken aback with that bit of information. "Southern gentleman?" I asked.

"You have no idea," she said. "That's probably why he and Jason never got along." She added that little tidbit under her breath.

At least I knew that she remembered her brother.

"What do you do for fun?"

She propped her chin upon her hands as she thought about it. "Let's see; since it's now 8:00 on a Wednesday night, I'm usually showered and in bed with a good book by now. In a couple of hours, I would be watching an old episode of the _'First 48'_, which is my favorite show. If that's not on, I'm working. There have been times when I might go places with my girlfriends; well the two that I have. We might go to the movies or out for dinner, but other than that," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, "I'm usually at home."

"Do you have any male friends … a boyfriend or a husband?" I would hate to make her a widow at such a young age.

"No and no," she said with a smile.

"Do you?"

"No. I have no boyfriend or husband."

She laughed. "You know what I mean," she said playfully.

I couldn't answer the way that I wanted to so I said, "You." She blushed and fanned me off with her hand. I decided to keep asking questions; the more questions I ask, the longer she would have to stay. "Do you have any family?"

"I have a brother. His name is Jason."

"Younger or older?"

"Older; I'm 25 and he's 29."

She had just turned 29 when we...

"How old are you?"

"Old."

"How old?" she asked with a smile.

"Over a thousand years old," I answered.

She looked at me with wide eyes. "You _are_ old."

We laughed the way that we used to laugh.

"Where are you from Sookie?"

"Baton Rouge."

"Where do you live?"

"Shreveport."

"What made you come to Shreveport?"

"I've always wanted to be in Shreveport. When I graduated from LSU, I moved here. I love it here. It feels like home." As she looked at me, she said in a whispery voice, "Maybe I'm here for you."

"Maybe," I replied.

She blushed and looked down at the table. That is why she was here. She was supposed to be here with me. She looked at her watch and it made me think that she was about to leave. It was barely 9:00. She couldn't go home yet. I had to keep her here with me.

"Since I didn't ask you earlier, what do you think of Fangtasia?"

She turned around in her seat and used her knees to stand just a little so that she can peek over the booth. She studied the crowd for a second and then turned back to me. Blushing, she leaned across the table and motioned for me to come closer to her. "Everyone here is only thinking about S-E-X. The humans are anyway. Sex is everywhere."

"Does that bother you?"

She looked taken aback by my question or my lack of one. She expected me to ask her about her telepathy. And I am but not right now. I don't want that to be the first thing that I notice about what she had said. That was the problem before. She thought that her blood and her telepathy made her attractive to our kind. She was so much more than that. She didn't know that then. I want to make sure that she knows that now. I want her to know that she is so much more to me.

"I guess not," she finally answered. "If they are satisfied with giving themselves away so freely, who am I to judge them for that? I think that a lady should remain a virgin until she has found the one that she intends to be with forever." She saw how thoughtfully I was looking at her and she blushed. "That's what Gran always said. She said that what a woman has is special and only the most special man deserves such a gift."

Is she a virgin?

"Is that what you intend to do?"

She looked at me and rolled her eyes. I didn't think that she was going to answer me but she surprised me. She held her head up proudly and smiled. "I am neither confirming nor denying what my sexual status is but I think that a woman should save herself for her husband. He should be her only lover."

Is she untouched; no Bill and no Quinn? She will be mine.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

With my head, I motioned towards the crowd of dancers and drinkers. "How did you know what they were thinking?"

She looked at me for a minute and stared. After some internal discussion with herself, she made a crucial decision. She stood up and came over to sit with me. She sent shivers through me when she whispered in my ear. "I'm telepathic." She placed her finger to her lips in a 'Shhh' gesture. "Don't tell." Her breath smelled of Sprite and strawberries.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," I said.

When I said that, Sookie laughed. She leaned onto my arm as she laughed some more. I'd never heard a song so beautiful. I wanted to keep her laughing for as long as I could.

As she laughed, I noticed that Pam, Maxwell Lee, Thalia, and Indira were watching us ... again. My vampires were happy for me. I could feel the love and happiness flowing through me from Pam. I sent it back to her tenfold. Sookie's joy had spread to my vampires. Her happiness was as infectious as it ever was.

Once she was able to compose herself, she turned to look at me; her eyes were smiling. "You're funny." The best part is that even after she stopped laughing, she stayed close to me.

"Can you read my mind?"

She shook her head no. "If I could I would not be sitting here with you. The human minds are always going. Luckily, I learned at a young age to keep them out. But with you …" she said with her eyes closed, "it's like a peaceful stream of nothingness. It's beautiful. You don't invade my mind with your random thoughts." She looked up at me and smiled. "I guess that's something else that I need to thank you for." She winked at me.

"Just so long as you like me," I said as I returned the wink. She pushed against me with her body when I said that.

"Hey … wanna do something?" she eagerly asked me.

I raised my eyebrows.

She slapped my hand. "Not that Mr. Dirty Mind." She kept her hand on top of mine as she mindlessly stroked the back of it. "Do you want to know what some of the people are thinking?"

"Yes," I whispered in her ear. I made sure that I brushed against her ear with my lips. That was her weakest spot. She closed her eyes when I did it.

When she looked up at me, she swallowed hard. "Okay."

For the next hour, she pointed at different humans and told me what they were thinking. Most of it, if not all, was funny. She laughed and leaned onto my arm. After she told me what the fangbangers were thinking, I told her different fangbanger stories. She laughed until tears came to her eyes. It was pure bliss. Her laughter broke my heart.

After a few more minutes of enjoying each other's company, Sookie said, "I have had a really good time with you." She got up and went to her side of the booth. I assumed that she is going to sit down but she began gathering her things. Seeing her prepare to leave was almost as heart wrenching as watching her die.

My heart was breaking all over again. "Where are you going?" I asked as I quickly stood up.

She gave me a funny look as she put the money on the table to pay for her drinks. "I have to work in the morning." She looked at her watch. "I have stayed out much longer than I had planned. It's almost 11:00. I'm too comfortable around you. I had to get up or else I wouldn't leave."

_You can stay. You are my wife. Just give me a few more minutes. Please don't do this to me. Just give me a little more time. That is all that I ask; just a little more time._

"Since you're so comfortable around me, may I walk you to your car?"

She looked up at me and smiled. "I would love that."

I offered her my hand and she took it. Everyone in the bar was watching us as we walked hand in hand. Sookie leaned over and whispered, "Every woman in here hates me."

I leaned down as close as I could to her and said, "Well that's too bad. I'm saving myself for someone." She looked up at me and I gave her my winning smile and a wink.

"You are a charmer, Eric." She looked over her shoulder and winked at the redhead. She mouthed something to the redhead that caused her to stomp away. Sookie turned back around with an impish grin on her face.

"What did you say to her?" I asked.

Shyly, she said, "I told her that tonight, you are mine."

"And I am," I assured her.

Sookie's heart began to be beat faster and I loved it.

When we reached the door, Pam, Thalia, Maxwell Lee, and Indira were already there waiting. They were pretending to be gossiping but I knew that they wanted to see Sookie off. Sookie stopped in front of my vampires and gave each of them a welcoming smile.

"I would like to let you all know that you have made my experience a great one. I never thought that when I met my first vampires that it would be this much fun. You all are so nice."

What?

She looked a Maxwell Lee and said, "Even you were a perfect gentleman."

The vampires gave each other glances quick enough for only a vampire to notice. Pam was the first to speak. "We wouldn't have it any other way." The others mimicked her response. Sookie told them all a goodnight before we walked to her car.

The walk was a long one and it was silent. It was also devastating. I couldn't bear the thought of letting her go when her place was with me. The closer we got to her car, the tighter her grip became. She didn't want to leave me just as I didn't want her to go.

"Well," she said once were standing beside a little red Volkswagen Beetle. "This is me." She was still holding my hand … or was I still holding hers?

"Nice," I said as I motioned to her car. The licenses plates read 'Sookie'.

The clearing in which her car was parked, held the smell of fairies. The sweet scent filled the air. Are they watching her? Is fae magic the reason she was able to find Fangtasia and not the little town of Bon Temps? Are her cousin and uncle behind this?

"My grandfather got it for me after I graduated college." She began talking in a deeper voice mimicking her grandfather, 'As I promised you, you can get any car that you want since you've graduated at the top of your class and you've worked so hard. I am extremely proud of you, my princess.' This is what I wanted so this is what I got."

"What is your grandfather's name?"

"Niall; Niall Brigant," she answered with a smile.

WHAT THE FUCK DOES SHE MEAN NIALL BRIGANT?

"Do you live with him?"

The mood suddenly turned sad. "No. He died three years later. He had been sick for awhile. He hung on long enough to see me graduate."

Niall's not dead. He returned to Fae after Sookie's funeral. The scent of her cousin and uncle are not what I smell. It is Niall! Did he keep her in Fae for the last five years? What has he done to her? Why has he made is it so she doesn't remember me?

"Now it's just me and Jason. I haven't seen him since grandpa's funeral." She looked up at the sky and said, "I don't even remember why we haven't seen each other."

"What about your grandmother?"

"She died five years ago today. She never got to see me graduate. I think she died the night before I graduated from high school. I don't remember too much before that. I only remember that morning because I was sad when I woke up." She shrugged it off as she continued. "I do know that I didn't get to talk to Gran before I went to bed. I regret that. When I woke up that morning, grandpa was in the living room crying. He told me that Gran had suffered a heart attack in the night. I remember crying but I don't remember going to her funeral. I was so out of it ..."

Her Gran was murdered by Rene Lenier. I have to contact Niall. The last time I spoke to him was just before Sookie's funeral. I deserve answers.

"What about your parents?"

"They died in a car wreck when Jason and I were younger."

Well at least that stayed true to form.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

What about the faeries that attacked her? What about the maenad? What about Bill and Quinn? She doesn't seem to remember about Freyda or Felipe. It's almost as if it's all been wiped away.

"I appreciate that." She took her hand from me in order to get her keys from her purse. "I had a really nice time tonight. Thank you," she said when she looked up at me.

We stood there staring at each other in an awkward silence. I was smiling down at her as if I was a school boy. I love that this is how she makes me feel. I love it! I had to captivate her with my great lady claiming skills. I need to make her see that she belongs with me.

"I enjoyed your company as well."

WHAT! I couldn't think of anything better than that? Shit; she was going to think that I was weak.

"Good night," she said; still staring at me.

She opened her car door to leave and I almost screamed _STOP_. Instead I said, "When can I see you again?"

"Really; you want to see me again?" She looked almost surprised. "_You_ want to see _me_?"

"Yes. I'd love to see you again."

"I'm off Friday. We can see each other Friday."

"Good," I said. I held the door open for her and watched her as she got in. Once she'd buckled herself in, I closed the door and leaned into the car. I kissed her softly on the cheek. She put her hand to her cheek and whispered something that I cannot quite hear. "What did you say?"

"Sweet; I said that was sweet," she blushed. She cranked her car.

"Sookie," I said.

She looked up at me with expectant eyes.

"If I am to take you out on a date, I need your number."

She opened the dashboard and retrieved a pen. She looked for a slip of paper but couldn't find one. "Your hand?" she asked. Silently I offered it to her. She began to write her number on the back of my hand and her name underneath it. "This is my cell. I wrote my name so that you would not get me confused with your fangbangers."

"Never; they can't compare to you."

"You _are_ a charmer. Goodnight." she said as she put the pen back in the dashboard. My lover began to drive away.

"Good night," I said as I watched her. It ached to watch her leave. I couldn't let her go just yet.

"Hello?" I could hear the smile in her voice. The little car stopped as the end of the parking lot.

"I had to be sure that you didn't give me a fake number."

I got to hear her laugh once more before she left. "Really?" she asked.

"Plus, I wanted to make sure that you had my number." She looked into her rearview mirror at me and laughed. "Call me if you need me."

"Good night, Eric." She put her hand out of the window and waved good-bye. I watch as my wife left Fangtasia.

Without needing to look, I knew that my vampires were with me. We were all looking in the direction of the fading car.

"This is not possible. She died five years ago tonight; after the …," said Indira.

"Don't say it," Pam growled at the younger vampire. Indira cowered and acknowledged her superior's command.

I know. She died in my arms.

"She hasn't changed," Thalia said.

Her personality has changed somewhat and her life is not what it used to be.

"How can we remember her and she does not remember either one of us?" asked Maxwell Lee.

I don't know.

Pam said what we're all thinking. "I have to wonder what other vampires know that she's alive."

Fangs dropped from all around.


	5. Chapter 5

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 5**

**Sookie's PoV**

**This is one of the chapters that will be Sookie's PoV. I wanted to post this one along with Chapter 4 so that you all could see what was going on inside of her head as well as Eric's. I hope that you all enjoy the new and improved Sookie Stackhouse … well in a way she will be new and improved. After all we are just meeting this Sookie Stackhouse.**

**This chapter will be about how Sookie felt while she was with Eric and how she felt meeting the vampires for the first time.**

**I want to thank you all in advance for reading and reviewing (hint on the reviewing). Thank you all.**

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><p>While I was driving home, I thought of how brazen I was tonight. I, Sookie Stackhouse, got into an argument with a vampire bouncer <em>and<em> I flirted with a vampire; a very handsome vampire as a matter of fact AND we have a date on Friday night. What are the chances?

Who would have thought that I would just walk up to a vampire and start up a conversation? Who would have thought that I would go to a vampire bar ... alone? I couldn't wait to get to work tomorrow. I can't believe I did that! What I really can't believe is how taken I am with Eric Northman.

When I walked past him to go into the bar, I brushed against his arm and electricity flowed through me. I wonder if he felt it too. I know that I have never felt anything like that before. It felt like sparks were flowing from him to me. It felt amazing. I wonder if he …. Why should I care if a complete stranger noticed me accidentally brushing against him? Why would I even think that he felt a spark because I brushed against his arm? Why should I care? I am Sookie Stackhouse. I shouldn't care about that; not in the least.

But I do.

When I sat down at the bar to order my drink, I noticed that all of the vampires were staring at me. I was afraid that they were going to kick me out. Come to think of it, they were staring at me like that when I tried to get them to let me in; even Eric. Maybe I was too vocal and humans aren't supposed to talk to vampires like that. Well, I guess they'd better get over it.

What I don't get, is why I was so adamant about getting in there. Normally, I wouldn't have cared in the least. But tonight, something was pulling me into that bar. I just felt like I had to get in there. I have not always been as vocal as I was when I fussed at the bouncer but I couldn't help it but I had to do it. Come to think of it, it was kinda stupid. I shouldn't have done that. He could've bitten my head clean off but he didn't. I was able to get in and get much needed drink.

At least I was able to relax and enjoy my gin and tonic. Well I thought that I would be able to enjoy my gin and tonic. Something was gnawing at me and that something was that tall, sexy vampire. I would slyly catch a glimpse of him but he was always looking at something else; or maybe someone else. I almost asked Immanuel about him but I chickened out. I guess it wasn't such smooth sailing after all.

I don't know why but I was drawn to him. There was only one thing for me to do. I thought to myself, 'Sookie, don't be afraid. You can do this. You can go up to him and thank him for letting you come into the bar and having a drink. You can tell him that you appreciate it and then you can leave'. That was what I'd planned on doing. But what did I do?

I ran to the bathroom. I ran to the fucking bathroom.

Coward

'He won't be like the others. You won't hear his thoughts. You hear the dirty things that are in the heads of the human men; what they want to do to you sexually. He won't try to use you to hide what he really is from his parents. If his mind is anything like the bouncer's then it'll be okay. You can do this Sook.'

A fangbanger walked out of one of the stalls and stared at me as if I was crazy. I smiled and hurriedly ran some water over my hands and ran back to the bar.

When I walked back out there, there he was standing where I stood not five minutes before. I started to walk in his direction. I was determined. I was a woman on a mission. I was going to take my chances and I was not going to let anything stop me.

I lied.

When I looked at him, I saw that he had the most beautiful smile on his face ... but it wasn't for me. He was looking in the direction of the fangbanger that had just walked through the door. He was smoothing down his shirt and smiling for her. She must be the fangbanger that he was waiting on. She was smiling too. That was the first thought that popped into my head. Why would I even think that I would have a chance with the likes of him? I'm a workaholic. I don't have time for relationships. I have more important things to do. Another lie.

Shit.

I stomped my foot and turned away from him quickly so that I wouldn't have to see him look at her like that. I was just going to leave and never return. I gave myself a good talking to and decided on what I needed to do. I said, "That's what you do, Sook. Thank him and go." I exhaled and made my move.

What the...

Why did I turn around and find him looking down at me smiling? He told me that I didn't have to leave. After looking into his eyes, I didn't know if I could. I almost jumped his bones. I can just imagine the look on his face if I had done that. But being the lady that I am, I composed myself. What I wanted to do was drown in his eyes. I could have gotten lost in those eyes. His eyes have captivated me. I know that I stared at him long enough to almost forget what he said to me. All I could think to say was thank you. Really Sookie? He said that I didn't have to leave and what did say?

I said thank you.

THANK YOU!

I am such an idiot.

I pulled into the parking lot of the closest fast food restaurant.

"Welcome to Jack 'n the Box. Whatcha ordering tonight, honey?"

"I'll have a chocolate shake and large fry, please?"

"Small or large shake?"

"Small, please."

"That'll be 4.77. Come on to the first window darlin'."

At the first window, a young man stood there and waited. I smiled at him and said hello. He said nothing. His name tag said Coby. He took my money and that was it. He had curly blond hair and brown eyes; no more than sixteen. As I watched him working his register, his face looked familiar. I knew that I'd seen him before. Those brown eyes have seen some bad things and some bad times. They were filled with pain. I wished that I could help him but I wouldn't. His pain is his own.

"Here ya go," he said as he practically threw my change at me.

Rude little jerk, I thought. I wondered what his mom was like. I can only imagine the type of people that raised him. No manners at all. I'll bet his mom is a pickle.

"Thank you," I said as politely as possible. "Have a good night."

He closed the window and walked away.

Little shit. I didn't want to help him after all.

When I drove to the second window, I reached for the bag that the young girl was handing to me as I put my change in my purse. When I looked up, the cashier was handing me my shake and I was greeted with a beautiful smile. Her name was Lisa. She had flaming red hair and was just adorable. She had a face full of freckles and her eyes were bright green. I knew that I knew her too. This time I had to find out.

"Do I know you?" I asked her.

"I don't think so." she said. "I'm always right here in this drive thru window. More than likely, you've seen me here."

'Lisa,' a voice yelled from the back.

I know that I know her. I've seen her somewhere before.

She stepped back away from the window and said, "Thanks for coming to Jack 'n the Box. Have good night."

"You too," I said. I watched her as she walked away and I know that I've seen her before and it wasn't in the drive thru window.

As I rode down 87, my thoughts went back to Eric.

He is so familiar to me. I have to admit, I was nervous. Not because he's a vampire but because he made me forget myself. I felt so comfortable around him. I think that he felt the same way. He wanted me to be happy while I was there and I was. I was happy because I was with him. He made me feel safe. He talked to me. I think that is what I liked the most about tonight; he shared with me. From what so many people have said, vampires are not the friendliest of people but my vampires, well the vampires from tonight, were absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to see them again. I felt so comfortable. Until that redhead pissed me off.

Her thoughts were very ugly. She had ugly thoughts of me. She was jealous that I was sitting with him and she wasn't. She wanted to know why he sent her away so rudely but wanted to be with me. She kept thinking that she has something in store for me. She kept saying over and over again that I wasn't that great. I wanted to go and deck her and ask her how the hell she knows. But I didn't. Ladies don't act like that.

As I sat at the stop light, I thought about how I sounded when Eric invited me to join him.

OMG; my heart almost stopped when he asked me to sit with him. I said okay so fast I probably sounded desperate. He probably thinks that I'm some loser. When he touched my back, I almost melted. It's a good thing that I'm good at hiding my feelings because he would have been able to do anything that he wanted to me. I could feel the coolness of his hand through my dress as it rested on the small of my back. I wanted him to touch me all over. I probably would have let him touch me everywhere if we had been alone.

Gran would kill me.

OMG; I can't believe that I told him that he was cute.

Cute

Really Sookie… what grade are you in …third?

I am a bigger dork than I think I am.

I started screaming from embarrassment. When I did, I could feel a pair of eyes on me. I looked at the people in the next car and they were staring at me with wide eyes. I smiled at them before resting my head on the steering wheel.

What an idiot! I'm so glad that he's not here to see this.

But he did call me beautiful. I can't believe that a man, Eric Northman said that I am beautiful. I was giddy as a school girl.

When the light turned green, I was still thinking of what happened at Fangtasia. I didn't notice that the light had changed. The man in the car behind me did; he blew his horn. I waved him an apology and made my way home.

Fangtasia; the bar with a bite … really?

Can you say corny? All in all, the bar was reasonably nice; kinda cheesy but I would never tell him that. He was really proud of the bar and he should be. He has worked hard to become part of an unforgiving society and if they accept him and those of his kind, then more power to him. I guess the commercialism of it is what draws the fangbangers in. His explanation for owning a bar is a good one and it makes perfect sense. How else would they be able to blend in?

I also like the other vampires. They were pretty nice to me. His partner is very pretty. She was pretty enough but I'd hate to see her in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly late at night. She did not look very approachable. I should have gotten the names of the other vampires. I'll make it my mission to ask them the next time I go. Other than the way they stared at me when I got there, for vampires, they seem pretty nice.

The next time I go? He wouldn't mind it, right? Would he think that I'm stalking him? Nah ... he asked me for a date. He must like me, right? He didn't flinch when I touched his hand as I read the fangbangers. He let me lean against him as we laughed and talked. He held my hand when he walked me to my car. I think that he even squeezed my hand when we reached my car ... or was that me? Everything was so perfect tonight. I didn't want the night to end. It's been decided.

I'm going back.

I pulled my car in the garage. As I closed the garage door, I hummed and I was happier than I'd been in a long time. I laughed as I went into the house. My tabby, Tabitha, was in her kitty bed. I picked her up and told her that mommy was home and that I missed her. I gave her a quick kiss before putting her back in her bed.

When I went to my room, I stripped down and put my Snuggie on over my naked body before going back to the living room. I snuggled down for a relaxing moment on the couch as I ate my cold fries and drank my melted shake. I flipped through the channels but found nothing on but the news. Same old same; crime, terrible economics, and celebrities; nothing new was happening in the world at all.

No more TV. I lay back on the couch as Tabitha jumped upon my chest. I stroked the kitty as I thought about tonight. I then realized the quiet. I got up from the couch and walked around the big empty house. Silence; it was what I've always wanted. Not this kind of silence though. I expected to have a family by now and a couple of children running around the house. I chuckled. That's just wishful thinking for me. I gave up on that dream a long time ago. There was no man that I can be married to. It wouldn't be possible for us to stay happy. I wouldn't be able to stay out of his head. Just as soon as I thought that he was lying, I would go where I had no business.

Just as those thoughts filled my mind, I went to the bathroom and ran myself a hot bath. Once I was soaking in the tub, I began to cry.

I hate the silence of a big empty house. Maybe that was why I was happy to be at Fangtasia. I was around others. I had company. It was nice to be able to talk to people outside of work. It felt good not to read a person's mind for work. It felt good to read the minds of the fangbangers just for fun. It was especially nice to speak to someone without worrying about blocking their thoughts from my mind.

I then wiped the poor Pitiful Pearl tears away. I slid underneath the water. The water would hide the tears. They always do.

Suddenly, I emerged from under water.

"Turn me upside down and paint me blue!"

Did I really tell him that I'm telepathic? No one knows but me, Jason, and my grandparents. My grandparents are dead. Jason's been doing his own thing. He has no time to think about what I can do. He never wanted to talk about it anyway. Mom and dad knew but they died. My colleagues at work don't know; except for my best friend and I've never officially told her. No one else knows. I can't trust everyone else.

But Eric; it was okay that he knows, right? He didn't even ask what I meant when I told him that everyone at the bar was thinking about sex. It's okay that he knows.

I relaxed. I trust him.

I don't know why but I trust him not to say anything. I don't think he'll tell Pam or any of the other vampires but I wonder if he'll tell her the other stuff. I wonder if he will tell her that the bar wasn't there when I drove by the first time and that it just appeared out of nowhere. Maybe it was there. I probably wasn't paying attention and missed it when I drove past.

If he were still alive, Grandpa Niall would explain it to me. Whenever strange things would happen, he was always there to make it better. He could explain it all away. He knew just what to say to put me at ease. I miss him and Gran so much.

After my musing, I bathed and removed myself pruned body from the tub. I lotioned myself down and moisturized my face. I put on an old LSU tee shirt and began brushing my teeth and as usual, my phone began to ring. I spat the toothpaste out and wiped my mouth with the back of hand. I ran downstairs to the living room to get my phone from my purse.

Please let it be him.

Please let it be him.

I looked at the caller ID on my phone. It read 'E'. That's the way I entered his name into my phone. I screamed. I then ran back upstairs as my phone continued to ring.

It's him!

I need to give him his own special ring tone so that I'll know that it's him.

I jumped on the bed and waved my legs back and forth in the air.

'Play it cool Sookie', I mumbled. 'Pretend like you don't know who it is.'

I breathlessly answered the phone. Running down the stairs to grab your cell phone _and_ then running upstairs to bedroom _and_ jumping in the bed _and_ flailing your legs in the air like a maniac really takes a lot out of a person.

"Hello?" I finally said.

"Sookie are you alright?"

He sounds so good. If I didn't know any better, I would think that he was worried about me. "Yeah, I'm ok. May I ask who is calling?" Phone etiquette is very important, ya know?

"Eric."

He almost sounded disappointed that I don't '_know_' who it was. I had to play hard to get. I couldn't let him think that I was going to be some side piece for him. He didn't even answer me when I asked if he had a girlfriend or a wife. I had to be on top of my game. Women have to play hard to get, right? I was going to take hints from Gran. She always said never let a man know that you are excited to see him. Keep them guessing. She probably meant that for the phone calls as well.

Here goes nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 6**

**You all are the absolute greatest! I can't be sure if I have sent everyone a PM for their reviews. If I did not, I want you to know that you are appreciated. I appreciate every single one of you. I know that there are other things that you could be doing with your time but you give it to me and to this story. Thanks to all of you that have read, reviewed, alerted, and made this story one of your favorites.**

**I'm going to do my best to get our favorite couple back to where they used to be but not exactly where they used to be. Like Sookie said in the first chapter, sometimes you just have to let all of the bad stuff go. This chapter will be in the present and Eric's PoV. He wants some answers and he wants some Sookie. Let's see if he's going to get what he wants.**

**All SVM characters belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris. She even owns the main characters in the chapters that I did not include with the disclaimer. The story is mine. I just want to make them the way that I want them. Enjoy!**

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><p>As soon as I went into my office I called Niall's private line. "I need to speak to the prince. This is important."<p>

"And you are …?" The voice on the other end did not sound too interested in anything that I have to say.

He knew damned well who I was! Niall only gives his private number to a select few. Remaining calm and making sure that the secretary could hear the venom dripping from my voice, I said, "This is Eric Northman. I am the husband of his great-granddaughter. I need to speak to the prince as soon as possible. Would it be at all possible for you to get him to the phone?"

The secretary said in a short and ill-humored tone, "No. It is not _possible_ that I get him to the phone."

"I need to know if he or any other faery has been here tonight." All that I could think was if that arrogant fae didn't lose that attitude, I would reach through the phone and wring his fucking neck.

The secretary laughed. "Are you insane? Why would any fae come near a vampire bar?"

My body stiffened. "I didn't say where I was did I?"

The secretary's silence was deafening.

"I need to speak to Niall."

There was a self-righteous tone to the secretary's voice when he decided to speak again. "Since you cannot and will not speak to him, there is a message that I am to pass on to you. You will see and speak to the Prince when it is time and not until then. You must be patient. Now, if there is anything else that you need of the prince, he will gladly assist you but if you want to discuss his family matters, you will wait until _he_ is ready." He sounded extremely happy to be talking down to me.

Was this faery giving me orders; a lowly faery secretary?

"Listen, you fucking phone answering faery, you will …"

Sounding even more amused than he did before, he decided to make matters worse. "Mr. Northman! Do I perceive a hint of hostility, my dead friend? I hope not. It would be an atrocity; no an act if injustice, if your message to the prince should suddenly disappear. I would hate for that to happen. It would be an absolute shame if something of that nature occurred." His voice was light and airy when he made his threat but I could tell that he meant it. "Since it appears that you have nothing further to say, the prince will see you when it is time. Because I have to be polite to you, I must ask, will there be anything else? I really hope not."

I want your fucking head on a platter. "Nothing but this; be sure to give Niall my message. I will be waiting."

The voice laughed at me. "There is no doubt."

I hung up before I had the chance something that I would regret. If I had to humble myself down a bit, then that was what I was going to do. I had to know what has happened to Sookie and why it has happened to her. But it would be the last time that I did this; bow down to a fucking faery; a faery secretary no less. I hate faeries. They are sneaky and are always up to no good. At least I knew for sure that Niall had a hand in what has happened. I know that he would not do anything to hurt her but as Sookie's husband, I had every right to know what was going on when he decided to take her away from me.

"Pam," I said as I sat at my desk.

Instantly, she was in my office. "Yes, Eric." She knew very well what I wanted. She was anxious to know what was going on and how it had happened.

"It was Niall."

With her fangs descended, she said, "Fucking faeries. Does Sookie know anything about what has happened to her?"

I shook my head as I answered her. "From what I can tell, no. For the last five years she's lived with 'Grandpa Niall'. She and Jason haven't seen each other in quite some time but she can't remember why. Her Gran was not murdered but died of a heart attack. After her grandmother died, Niall took care of her from that day forth. He died after she graduated from college. Pam, you wouldn't believe how her life has changed."

As Pam walked towards the couch, she motioned for me to continue speaking. "So, tell me." Pam sat on the couch as I filled her in on how much my wife has changed; emotionally and mentally.

When I was done, I leaned back in my chair and smiled. "I can't believe that you are finally speechless. After many decades together with me begging for you to shut-up, you do it when I don't want you to. Ye gods can be so unfair."

She gave me a haughty look. "Whatever Eric; do we really have time for your smart remarks? No. Okay; let me get this right. One morning she just woke up and boom, her life was different. She grew up in Baton Rouge with grandpa _and_ grandma. She went to college and now has a career. She has never heard of Bon Temps or Merlotte's but out of the darkness, Fangtasia just suddenly appeared."

"That's right. And Pam, when I walked her to her car, the smell of the fae was everywhere. When I called Niall, the secretary practically told me that Niall was here. He had to have been the one to show her the way."

Pam looked at me thoughtfully. "I wonder how all of this came to be. Since we are the first vampires that she's ever met, Bill has never been in the picture." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Never," I said. "She will finally only belong to me. She will be mine and only mine in every sense of the word." That has been what I've wanted since the first day I'd met her.

"Do you think that these changes will change who she is?"

"No," I said without hesitation. "If anything, they've made her stronger and more confident than she was before. I don't know what Niall did but she is different ... but in a good way. The Sookie that I married would never have approached me and told me things about herself. She came to me without fear or thought. She talked to me as if she has known me all of her life. She was telling me how comfortable she is with me. I've never been prouder of her."

"Is she still telepathic?"

"She will have to tell you." I told Sookie that I would not speak of her secret to anyone; that anyone included my child. I trust Pam but I love Sookie and I want to show her that she can have faith and trust in me. I won't betray her or use her talents as I did before. She has to know that I love her for who she is and not what she can do or the taste of her blood.

"I understand." Pam fell silent for a few seconds. A blank look took over her face. Pam has never been one for being shy or beating around the bush. She had something that she wanted to say but was hesitant. The way that she is acting I know that she is concerned about my reaction. It had to do with Sookie.

"Say it, Pam."

"I hated her," she blurted out. "I know that her death was not her doing but I hated her. I wished that we had never met her. I wished that _I_ had never met her; damned humans." She dropped her head so that she did not have to look me in the eyes. "They are more trouble than they're worth." She was speaking to the floor.

In the past, if anyone had spoken those same words, I would have killed them on the spot but after Sookie died, Pam was in pain. Don't get me wrong; she didn't show weakness. She was just as strong as ever. She never cried. She never mentioned Sookie's name again. She didn't go to the funeral. As far as I know, she hadn't gone anywhere near Bon Temps. She was a lot colder towards humans than she was before. Sookie's death was the catalyst for her change. Now humans are food and sex; nothing more.

"Look at me Pam." It was not a command but a request.

When she lifted her head, anguish was in her eyes. "Humans are so fragile," she whispered. Her Victorian accent was more pronounced now than ever. "She called me her friend and she was mine. It hurt me when she died, Eric. For me, it felt as if all that I have loved would soon follow. I was afraid that I would lose you too." She looked at me when she said that. Sadness was swirling through the bond.

Instantly, she stood up. A chilly and icy glare took over her once tormented face. "I am glad that she has returned to you. Come, we must amuse the vermin." Without another word, Pam was gone.

Soon after, I followed her to the bar. As I walked to my throne, heads turned to face me. They were all looking at me; especially the lust struck fangbangers. When I took my seat, I looked at what was before me. The dance floor was packed with bodies moving badly to the beat of the loud and offending music. The smell of their sweaty bodies was offending to me. Usually, I would look at the partying vermin and I would feel a sense of achievement, success and accomplishment. Tonight, I only wanted to feel Sookie. I wanted to love her.

As I thought of my wife, the redhead from earlier was watching me. The beast had me trapped in her gaze. She was trying her best to dance seductively. As I watched her, I wondered what Sookie heard in her head. I only needed to smile and she I knew that she would come to me.

I smiled; she came.

She walked shakily to me one in those worn out six-inch heels. In a matter of seconds, she was standing before me.

As sexily as she could, which was not very sexy at all, she said to me, "I knew that you would call me to you. I have been waiting for you."

She gave me a sickening smile. From my throne, I could smell the alcohol permeating from her mouth and her skin. She had the stench of filth all around her. Her neck was covered in vampire bites. What vampires would feed from her?

"You couldn't resist me could you?"

I stared at the woman with disgust; a look that I did not try to hide. My only concern was what Sookie heard when she looked at the woman.

"You did not like my companion this evening."

"No. You can do so much better. I'm what you need. Do you want to know what the vampires say about my blood? They say that my blood is sweet. It's the best they've ever had."

I looked at her as if she was telling a lie. It was not possible.

She let her yellowing fingers trail down her bony, bite riddled neck. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her but not because I wanted her but because she was serious in her pursuit of me. She really believed that I would want her. She is not the type of woman I would be seen with. Her hair was the reddest of reds. It was unkempt and it was not of its natural hue. She was thin and shapeless. She had no curves. Her bosom was non-existent. Her outfit did her no favors. She was wearing a skirt that looked as if it was fashionable several years ago. Her t-shirt was stained. Her make-up was barely thrown into place. She had lipstick on her teeth; what few teeth she had left. She had no reason at all to believe that she could or would ever stand a chance with me.

"What can I do for you to make you feel better?"

I took an even closer look at the slag that stood before me. I could see why Sookie called her pitiful. Maybe it was nothing that she thought. It could've just been her. There's a lifetime of abuse radiating from her. Her eyes tell the story; sad, dead eyes. But unlike Sookie, I have no pity for her.

"You can do nothing for me."

She laughed as if I was playing a game with her. She began to walk closer to me; teetering in those ridiculous, worn-out shoes. "Oh, I can do a lot for you if you'd let me; more than that girl that was with you tonight." She was smiling those yellow teeth at me.

For her sake, she needed to be careful. Little did she know but I would enjoy causing her excruciating pain if she disrespected Sookie.

"Do you know who that girl is?"

"Maybe but I'll tell you what I do know. I know that she isn't with you. I would never leave you alone. She didn't even make sure that you were well fed before she left you here all alone. I know that she didn't let you fuck her either. That bitch …"

Before I could stop it, my temper took over.

In a flash, I was standing in front of the nasty woman with my hand wrapped neatly around her bony throat. She never saw me coming because that dumb smile is still on her face.

"That bitch that you speak ill of is my wife. You will not disrespect her." I stared in her deeply in her eyes. I suddenly changed my mind. "There is something that you can do for me. You can die."

I squeezed her throat a little bit at a time as she clawed at my hand. The smile was finally gone. I could feel her pulse beating faster and faster against the palm of my hand. Her fighting brought my vampire instincts out in full force. I squeezed just a little bit harder.

"Give me one reason why I should not kill you."

She squeezed her eyes closed as she shook her head from side to side; gasping for what little air that was available to her. I couldn't have that. I squeezed tighter.

Pam was instantly beside me with her hand on my arm. "Master, release her. The humans are watching."

"So," I said. It was the only word that came to mind. I looked at Pam as if she was just another vampire. I turned my attentions back to my prey. The redhead was gasping and clawing for her last breaths. I was reveling in her discomfort and pain. I looked deeply into the vermin's eyes. I could see the life slowly ebbing away.

"She insulted my wife. Why should I let her go?"

"Because of your wife," Pam said softly. "What would she say if she saw this?"

Thalia, Maxwell Lee, and Indira stood watch. I could see that they agreed with Pam. I then dropped the blood bag onto the floor. She curled into the fetal position with her hands around her bruised neck; crying. Making sure that she did not touch it, Pam used her foot to kick the woman onto her back. She stooped down to the level of the vermin to glamor the rightful assault from its mind but I stopped her.

"Don't glamor her. I want her to remember what has happened to her. I want them all to remember. Look at me vermin."

She squeezed her eyes closed.

"Look at me now," I said in my most ominous voice.

Slowly she did. "If you ever disrespect my wife again, I will kill you. If I ever see your face again, I will kill you. If you return to Fangtasia, you will never leave. You believe me, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Get her the fuck out of here."

Once the show was over, the humans returned to their night of drinking and dancing as if nothing had happened.

'He should have killed her.'

'I have never seen a vampire kill someone before. I thought that I was going to get to see it tonight. That would be something to write home about.'

They wanted to see her die. I looked at them all with contempt; fucking humans. They're just as bad as the faeries; just not as dangerous. I could no longer stand to be in their presence. Each of them sickened me. With that said and done, I went into my office.

I laid back on the couch and take out my cell phone. I contemplated calling her. It's only 11:30. She could possibly be awake. She was one for an early bedtime but things have changed. She is no longer married to a vampire. Sookie is no longer a waitress at Merlotte's. She has to be an early riser now. Would she think that I am being selfish if I call her this late? I guess I am selfish. I have to talk to her. There was no way that I could wait until Friday to speak to her. It had been five years and I can't wait any longer.

Her phone rang once, twice, three times … just as I was about to hang up, I heard a breathless, "Hello?"

I sat up instantly. Why was she out of breath? Was she in danger?

"Sookie, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. May I ask who is calling?"

Doing my best not to sound insulted, I said, "Eric. I only ask because you sound as if you're out of breath."

"I had to run downstairs to get my phone. I had just gotten out of the tub. Couldn't wait 'til Friday, huh?" she asked.

"I could not."

"I'm glad that you couldn't." I could hear that she was happy to hear from me. "Just before I answered, I had decided on a plan. Do you want to know what it was?"

"Tell me, my dearest."

"I was going to play hard to get but it didn't work out ... my dearest." Quickly, she added, "I was thinking about you."

"You said that so fast, I almost did not catch it."

"Ha, ha," she said. "You heard me. So, have you decided on what we're doing Friday night?"

"Anything that you want to do; that's what we'll do. I just want to spend some time with you."

As I laid back on the couch while talking to Sookie, I remembered how she wanted me to court her. She used to always say that she didn't know how I felt because I never called her or visited her. I told her that because I had taken care of her, she should have known how I felt. After she moved in with me, I understood what she wanted.

I remember our first real date after our relationship changed. I could never see what she meant when she said that she wanted me to prove that she was my girl. I remember how she said it made her sad when I would go weeks and not see her or speak to her. It won't happen again. This was my chance to woo her the way that she has always wanted.

"I don't really have a lot of dating experience." She sounded ashamed of that bit of information. "It's hard to date when you know what your date is thinking ... about what they want to do to you or how they want to do it to you. So, I'm depending on you to decide. After all, _you_ asked me out. You still want to take me out don't you?" she asked coyly.

"I do. If this is what you want then I will surprise you." I knew exactly where to take her. She loved it before; she will love it again.

"Since we have gotten that straight, are you still working?"

"Yes I am. I decided that I wanted to take a break. So here I am in my office, lying down on the couch talking with you."

As we laughed and talked for the next thirty minutes, I notice how relaxed I am; how happy I am. I asked her about her day and she was happy to tell me. She didn't go into much detail, but she loves her job. From what I gather, she works with children.

She said that she it's what she was meant to do. "It is my calling. There are so many children out there that need help. People are so ready to medicate them and that's not always the solution. There's always something more there, ya know?"

"You sound as if you love your job. I'm happy for you."

"Yeah; I do. I couldn't imagine doing anything else." She yawned. "Oh, I'm sorry for that. I'm never up this late."

"Well, I'll let you rest. Before you go to sleep, there is one thing that I need from you that I did not get before you left tonight."

"What's that?" she asked. There was a hint of suspicion in her voice. I knew that she was thinking that I wanted to use her skills. That's far from what I want from her.

"Your address; I have to know where live if we are to go on a date."

"Oh, okay." She sounded relieved. "I'll give you my home and work address. There may be times when you may need me when I'm at work too. You know, just in case." I was willing to take whatever she was willing to give me. While she was giving me her home and work addresses, she yawned again.

"Well, my dear Miss. Stackhouse, you must prepare for bed. It is now 12:00. I will see you Friday at seven; will that be alright with you?"

"That will be perfect." She sighed. "Thank you Eric."

"For what?" I asked with a hint of surprise.

"For a great night; it was amazing."

"We only talked."

"It was wonderful. Good night Eric."

"You have no idea what you have done for me tonight. _I_ thank you. Dream of me," I said to her.

"It would be hard for me not to."

"Good night, Sookie." I heard her giggling as we ended our call.

I smiled as I thought of her. I find her to be even more enchanting than she was before. She is sweet, caring, beautiful, and sexy. She is smart and compassionate. She is everything that any vampire would want. I know that I will do anything to make our first date a date that she will never forget. I know exactly what I am going to do. I want her to be happy. After all, I am taking her on her first date.

I start making phone calls and plans for Friday night. I remember that she likes the simple things. There is no need for a lot of extravagance. Our first date was very simple and it blew her away. She was so happy. I can't wait to have that night with her again. In no way have I ever gone through so much trouble to make a woman happy. Sookie has always wanted us to have a human type relationship; courting, calling, things of that nature. Towards the end, that is what we had. I will gladly start over.

After about four hours, the important phone calls were done and the vampire business had been completed. Pam came into the office just as the last email was sent.

"The humans have left and the workers have cleaned the bar. We are closed for the night. Before we leave, do you need to see us?"

"Yes," I said.

Pam went to let the others know to come to my office. When they entered, Pam took her place beside me. Thalia and Maxwell Lee were seated on the couch and Indira leaned against the wall. Each vampire in my office is trusted and loyal to me. They were also loyal to Sookie but since things have changed, I won't take any chances when it comes to her life. I will fill Heidi and Mustapha in on the changes when I see them.

"You all know that you are the most trusted of my retinue. You also understand that what happened here tonight stays here. If anyone betrays her, you will meet the true death." They all know that I meant what I said.

They said that they understand and pledged their loyalty to us. After what happened the night of her murder, no matter how trusted they are, any betrayal; accidental or purposely, will be met with final death. I am not going to lose her again.

I didn't give them the same information that I earlier gave to Pam but I gave them enough to let them know what's going on. Maxwell Lee, being the cool vampire that he is, settled on the edge of the couch as he removed his jacket.

"Should we send Weres to watch her while we are at rest? We can each take turns and watch her home at night."

He had always had an affinity for Sookie. The feeling was mutual. Other than me and Pam, her favorite area vampires were Bubba, Rasul and Maxwell Lee. Oh, she also cared for Bill.

Thalia shook her head no. "We can't do that. There is no way to guarantee that other vampires don't remember her. They will become suspicious if Eric suddenly orders her to be protected. Vampires will be wondering what is so special about her to make a vampire in Eric's position to want to protect a human."

Pam thoughtfully agreed with Thalia. "We could unintentionally put her in danger. Probably in more danger than she was before; especially to those that may remember her. They'll want to know how she came to be after her murder. We cannot do that."

I wanted to call in every favor that was owed to me so that I could keep her protected but I knew that the vampiresses were right. If the vampires remember her, they will try come for her with everything that they have; regardless of the AP's ruling. Though the council did all that they could to protect her, her return will make them question her heritage.

"I have an idea. You all may not like it and you, Master, may not agree. We don't know how she came be back with us and I can only guess that we don't care. We want to keep her safe and there's only one way to do that. We just have to let whatever happens happen. We should not interfere with chance." Indira's face was as neutral as it was when Sookie entered Fangtasia tonight.

I watched each vampire and they all are about to protest but they knew that she was right. I think of the vampires that were here tonight. The vampires that approached her tonight did not recognize her and they knew of her when she was with Bill. She'd even saved them in Rhodes. Indira was right. That was the best suggestion of the night and one that we would follow.

"Done," I said.

The discussion was over. For the next hour, we talked about Fangtasia business and vampires requesting residence and the complaints about the FoTSs members that kept rolling in. I let them know that is to be discussed tomorrow night with the other vampires in power. When the meeting was over, we called it a night.

I was the last one to leave and I was feeling the strangest sensation; a sensation that I never expected to feel again; happiness. For the first time in five years, I was happy.

Fuck driving home, I'm flying. Just as I did the night she willingly became mine.


	7. Chapter 7

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 7**

**Flashback #2 – Going Home**

**Hey, you guys are the most awesome people in the world of fan fiction! As always, I love to hear what you think. Even though I didn't have time to respond to all of you the last time, I want you to know that I appreciate you. The time that you give to me and to this story is absolutely priceless. I can't thank you enough. I hope that you enjoy.**

**This chapter will be the second flashback chapter. Eric and Sookie are finally going home together to Shreveport. Sookie will let Eric know of the changes that she has decided to make in her life and how they will affect them as a couple.**

**I hope that you enjoy it and please don't hesitate to tell me what you think.**

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><p>When we landed in the driveway, Sookie's arms were wrapped around my neck and her face was buried in my chest. She looked at the house and then she looked at me. "We're home," she said. She wrapped her arms tighter around my neck and said, "Wherever you are, that's where my home is."<p>

I kissed her passionately as I walked us through the garage. I cradled her in my arms as we kicked off my shoes before entering the kitchen. When we reached the living room, I put her down. She instantly pulled her t-shirt over her head as I ripped the t-shirt from my body. We stood there eyeing each other lustfully. She then began removing her jeans. Once they were in a ball at her feet, she stood in front of me with her arms at her sides and the look in her eyes told me that she wanted me. Her white lace bra and panties were begging to be removed. Within seconds, my jeans and underwear were in shreds. But I was going to take my time removing her underwear. Her nude body was the second most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Her eyes and smile tie for first.

She watched my fingers as I slowly undid the butterfly clasp of her bra. I opened the cups and let my thumbs lightly brush across her nipples. Her shiver at my touch excited me. I let the bra fall to the floor. Her pink nipples were begging for a kiss. The thought of kissing them made my dick jump. When I bent down to remove her panties, I made sure that my breath blew across her nipples. She held her breath and ever so slightly thrusted them in the direction of my waiting mouth.

A smirk played across my mouth. "Not now, my lover."

She gave me sweet pout but didn't move.

When I removed her panties, the most intoxicating smell hit me. I'd never smelled or tasted anything sweeter. Just the thought of trailing my tongue through her folds made me lick my lips. When I stood up and took a step back and admired the vision before me, there was only one thought that went through my mind. I needed to have her scent on every inch of me.

She started walking to me and forcefully pushed me back onto the couch. When she did that, I bore my fangs at her. I had never wanted to bury myself inside of her as much I wanted to right then.

"I love you," I said to her.

She fastened her body to mine and kissed me as if she was never going to kiss me again. She was straddling me but she didn't let me enter her. My hardness was in her hand as she kissed me.

Mine.

That was the only thing that I could think as she loved me with her mouth and her hand.

Mine.

She removed her hand from my hardness and massaged it through her wetness. She moaned my name. Sookie had never done anything like this before. I loved it. When she removed her hand, it was covered in her sweetness. The same sweetness that was covering her hand was covering my hardness. She stroked me with her scent. I moaned as she used her hand to please me.

"Mine," she said in my mouth.

"Yes," I moaned.

The very idea that this beautiful and magnificent creature belongs to me, makes me smile against her waiting mouth. I take her face into my hands and begin to trace my tongue over her lips.

I licked my way from her lips to her ear and I whispered, "Mine." I wanted to tell her over and over again that she belongs to me.

"Yours," she said as I nibbled at her ear.

Still holding her face in my hands and looking into her eyes, I said to her, "When we do this, we are one. There is no going back. We may be starting a new bond but this one is the definitive one. You will forever belong to me. Are you sure that you want to do this? I want to be sure that this is truly what you want."

"Yes. I've never wanted anything more. I want you," she said as she ran her fingers through my hair.

She never lost rhythm as right her continued to pleasure me. She lifted herself up and began to rub the head of my hardness over her already swollen nub. She leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "How does it feel?"

I pulled her head to me and began kissing her as my hands caressed her breasts; they fit perfectly. Her nipples seemed to get harder as my fingertips brushed across them. I had no choice but to kiss them. They were begging to be loved. Every whimper that I could make escape my southern bell's throat, I relished.

Sookie leaned her head forward as she moaned my name. Her forehead rested against mine and she slowly started to come down on my shaft. My lover put the head of my hardness inside of her. She moved as slowly as she possibly could. She only worked the head in and out of herself; teasing me, torturing me. I threw my head back in complete ecstasy. I gripped her hips in order to drive my hardness inside of her but she stopped moving.

"Don't move Eric. Let me make love to you."

I growled in annoyance. What does she expect of me? I am a vampire!

I take control!

I am the one that is always in control!

No woman has ever...

I did as she asked. She put her hands on my shoulders as her knees rested on either side of me. She only moved up and down on the head of my cock. It felt so good. What felt like hours of torture, was finally over. She finally put all of me inside her. She kissed down my chest and licked my nipples. She looked up at me as I watched her flicking her tongue over my nipple. She then did the unexpected. She bit. That made me thrust deeper inside of her.

She sat up instantly and gasped. She leaned back with her hands resting on my knees as she thrusted her breasts forward. She began swirling her hips as she made love to me. My eyes were soon rolling so far back into my head that I couldn't focus on anything but what she was doing to me.

Sookie then leaned forward with her hands on my shoulders; moving up and down, never losing rhythm. She used one of my lines on me, "Look at me lover." I looked into her sultry blue eyes. "No one will take you from me. You are my husband."

"I'm yours." I grabbed the back of her head and kissed her with such force that I could taste the blood from her lips. "I can't take it any longer Sookie."

Sitting straight up, she said, "Take what Eric?"

Without saying a word and I was as deep inside of her as I could go. She was matching me thrust for thrust. I'd never felt anything so good in all of my existence. I pounded into her over and over again. Her body was glistening with sweat. She wrapped her arms around my neck and she moved back and forth as she fucked me. She was going faster and I knew that it was time.

"Now Eric; bite me," she moaned. I licked her neck and bit. I could feel her wetness contracting around me as she rode out her orgasm. Her sweet blood was flowing through me once again. It coated every inch of my mouth; as thick as nectar but sweeter.

"Fuck me baby."

I fucked her just like she wanted. She had orgasm after orgasm. I could feel myself about to cum as I went deeper into her. "Do it Sookie," I said into her ear. I needed to feel her blunt teeth biting into my neck. I was yearning for it. I craved it.

There was a time when she felt that her dull teeth would have hurt me and she didn't want to hurt me but tonight, there was no stopping her. She didn't give her dull teeth a second thought. She bit into me and latched on. She sucked for all that she was worth. She sucked harder as I exploded inside of her and she came with me once again. With my blood dripping from the sides of her mouth and her head thrown back, Sookie let me guide her up and down on my hardness. Over and over, my name replayed on her lips.

As her orgasm subsided, she milked the rest of the juices from my cock as she slowly moved back and forth.

Panting and sweating, she laid her head on my shoulder and said, "Perfect, absolutely perfect." She moved on my hardness until she could move no longer. I could feel her heart pounding against my chest. Her sweaty body smelled sweet. I pulled her closer to me.

"I love you Eric," she said. "I was so nervous when I got to Fangtasia. I wanted to make sure that I was making the right decisions ... and I was. This is good. This is right."

I stroked her hair as I held her. "I'm glad that you came back."

She placed her small hand on the side of my face and said again, "I love you." She then started to giggle.

"What is so funny lover?"

"I'm happy."

For the next few minutes we stayed connected and enjoyed the silence of each other's company. This moment is what I've wanted; what I've missed. I didn't realize just how much I've missed her being with me and inside of me.

"Eric?"

"Yes my lover." I continued to stroke her hair and kiss her forehead.

She lifted her head and looked at me. Sadness had taken up residence in her eyes. The smile had vanished from her face. "Has Felipe called you back about the …? Do you still have to marry Freyda?"

My gaze met hers and I was momentarily thrown by how stunning her eyes were. It is almost as if I am seeing her for the first time. I had to shake my head in order to escape my reverie and answer her question. "Since he has not called me back, yes I do but Sookie, I swear to you I am fighting it. I have been doing everything in my power to get out of this marriage. I've contacted the council and I have to meet with them in a couple of months. I have sent them a formal complaint since my king is ignoring my requests to abdicate the proposal. I will fight for us. I will fight for you."

"I know. I believe in you. I've always believed in you."

With me still inside of her and her legs still wrapped around my waist, I carried her to my chamber. Once we were settled in bed, I told her that she doesn't have to sleep in the chamber with me. "It's as dark as the grave in here; no pun intended. You don't belong here. I just want to have you with me until you have to go upstairs to your room." She has her own room upstairs that she uses when she spends the night with me. I understand that she doesn't want to wake up in the dark. I just want her with me until I go to rest. "You will stay with me until the dawn?"

"No." I stiffened beside her before I gave her a chance to finish. I knew that she noticed it but she ignored it and kept talking. "You are my husband. This is my bedroom. This is where I belong. I will be with you."

"I love you."

She snuggled down into my arms. "I know."

"Will you marry me?"

She started to laugh. "We're already married. Don't you remember the ceremonial knife?"

"I did that for selfish reasons. I wanted you as my bride and as my wife. I wanted to protect you from Felipe and Victor. I tricked you because I didn't want you to say no. I did not give you a choice because I did not care about how it made you feel. I felt that I was doing it for your own good. I was being, as you say, high-handed. I want to do right by you. You have given me a second chance so I want to give you what I took from you; a choice. Will you marry me?"

Sookie sat up quickly and looked at me. She threw her leg over me and straddled me. She put her hands on my chest and looked down at me. "Really?" she asked me. Her eyes were as big as saucers. "Do you mean this?"

"Yes."

She didn't look happy. She looked afraid.

"What about Freyda? Our marriage won't last long and if I know you, you won't give me a divorce if you do have to marry her and leave me behind." She gripped my shoulders as she kept ranting. "You'll keep me married to you so that I won't be able to move on with my life; not that I would be able to. What am I supposed to do when you are married to your vampire queen? Am I supposed to just sit in the corner like a good girl? Am I supposed to wait until you have time for me? I don't want to be your second wife. I don't want to be your first wife. I want to be your _only_ wife. I will not just keep my mouth closed and let this happen to us. I am telling you right now Eric Northman, I will not do that! Do you hear me? I will not do that!" She was crying while she gave her little speech.

"Fuck Freyda; I want to marry you."

With tears streaking her face, she had a faint trace of a smile there. "What will Felipe say?"

"It does not matter, lover. He will think that I am marrying you in a human ceremony to pacify you because of the pledge that Appius made with Freyda. He'll think that it's my way to keep you close to me. As long as you know that I am marrying you because I love you, the rest of it does not matter."

"Oh, Eric," she said into my chest.

The tears stopped. There was only sniffling. I reached over on the side of the bed and grab one of my discarded shirts and hand it to her. "You always use my shirts as handkerchiefs. There is no point in stopping now."

She took the shirt and laughed. She sat on top of me and looked down at me after she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'd love to be your wife … again."

"You will have to be a Northman."

"Hmm; I'll have to see about that." She leaned down and kissed me. "I hope that the gracious plenty is ready," she said as she stroked it.

"Greedy?" I asked.

She put her hands on my chest and impaled herself with it. "I'm always greedy for you."

I put my hands on her hips and guided her as she rocked and swirled her hips on my hardness. She squeezed her muscles as she rode me. "We can complete the bond by tomorrow night if we make an effort."

"That's going to be hard to do; putting forth that much effort," I said as I moved slowly in and out of her.

"I'm so happy." She put her forehead to mine as she moved on my hardness. "What more could I ask for?"

"Anything; you need only ask."

"Do you mean that?"

I brushed the hair from her face and looked into her eyes. "Yes. Whatever you want, it is yours."

"I want to be with you forever." I looked at her and smiled. She said it again to make sure that I got the meaning. "Forever, Eric."

Before she knew what was happening, I had her on her back and I was on top of her. My fangs had slowly descended. "Don't play with me Sookie."

She lifted her head and touched my fangs with the tip of her tongue. "I want to be with you forever."

"You will be forever mine, Sookie. I'll never let you go. I will never release you."

"I won't let you," she said.

I withdrew myself from her and I plunged as deep as I could inside of her. A gasp escaped her. Her arms tightened around me as her warmth surrounded me. I look at the ecstasy that has taken over her face. I didn't move. I couldn't move.

"Eric," she pleaded with me.

"Yes, lover," I said as I looked down at her.

I was waiting for her to tell me to fuck her but she didn't. She wrapped her arms around me and held me close to her. It was almost as if she was trying to pull me inside of her. "I love you. I don't ever want either of us to walk this world alone."

I no longer want to claim what is mine. I want to love what is mine. With each stroke, we were one. I touched her where she wanted to be touched. I kissed her where she wanted to be kissed. We never took our eyes off of each other. The looks and the sounds that came from her were driving me over the edge. The slow love making made her orgasm almost unbearable. She was digging the heels of her feet in my ass as I made love to her. The contractions of her walls were making me lose control. I could no longer hold back.

"Bite me Eric," she said.

"If you bite me," I said.

She nodded.

We came together.

I brushed a piece of hair from her face as I look down at her. "My wife," I said.

"My husband," she said with a kiss.

When we were sated, we held each other and for the first time in many, many months, we were both content. Sookie snuggled into my side and closed her eyes.

"You know that we can't tell Felipe that I am turning you. We will only tell our most trusted vampires. If Felipe finds out, he will do whatever he can to stop it. He wants you as his own. He would kill me before he lets that happen." Felipe would have me put to the final death if he found out that she has been turned. Since she would be a vampire in his area, he could take her. We will go somewhere else when that time comes.

"We can do it on our wedding night. That could be our wedding gift to each other. We'll be together forever." She started to laugh. "The biggest and baddest vampire in all of Louisiana is going to go have a human wedding. Who would have thought it?"

"So my soon to be vampire bride, when do we do get married?"

She looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "As soon as possible; we can do it before you go before the council. They won't suspect anything if we do it then, right? If we do it after and you still have to marry her, they will think that it was planned the entire time. Perfect, absolutely perfect," she said.

"You will be a Northman."

"I will be Mrs. Sookie Stackhouse-Northman." She started screaming and kicking her feet in the air.

We had only an hour before dawn and Sookie talked and talked about our small and intimate wedding. She even asked for my input. Her excitement was enough to make me want to give my input. I loved nothing more than to see her happy.

Pretty soon, I will have everything that I have ever wanted. She has freely given herself to me. I will be her husband. She will be my lover forever. I will belong to her forever. What more could a vampire ask for?

Sookie began her slow rhythm of breathing and I knew that she was falling asleep. "Baby," she said.

"Yes, my lover."

"I can feel you again."

My body is filled with love and joy. Bon Temps or Shreveport; anywhere she happened to be, is home. Holding her in my arms is home. Love exploded through the bond.

She rested her hand on my chest and said, "I love you too."

I don't need anything else.


	8. Chapter 8

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 8**

**With this chapter you get to get a bonus flashback/dream. Here is a shout out to VAlady because she found the hidden clue in the first chapter. Since she found the clue, I want to explain what she found but not why the promise had to be made. That is for a later chapter.**

**This chapter also gives you all an insight on Sookie's new life and her new career. Sookie has a new peace of mind and she knows that her life has meaning. Her new job will explain her willingness to tell Eric what she can do. She's no longer ashamed of who she is or what she is. She's just careful with who she trusts this go 'round. You'll also meet some characters from the books that have appeared in her life. Things have changed that made it possible for these people to return. Some people were nice to her and that carried over as well. The character Belinda was the one she saved when the witches attacked Fangtasia.**

**Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and enjoying this story. I hope that you all enjoy it and if there are any issues with the route that the story is taking, please feel free to let me know. Thank you so much for you reading. Enjoy!**

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><p>Blood is everywhere. I can barely see. My hair is matted to my head and face. Every part of my body is on fire. No amount of blood is going to save me now; especially not Eric. He's losing just as much blood as I am. I knew that someone was going to betray us. I saw it. I hope that Bill and Pam are safe. They were fighting pretty hard when I was ... was I taken? I don't remember. Eric told me to hide but why. Where is all of this blood coming from? Oh my...<p>

It's mine.

**BLACKOUT**

So much shouting and yelling. Why is that person screaming in my ear? She sounds just like me. She must be in a lot of pain. Her screams are so heartbreaking. I'm afraid for her. Her screams remind me of what Thing 1 and Thing 2 did to me. Poor girl; I wonder if she can hear them talking about killing her. I hope not. What she needs to do is float away. I remember that worked for me when Thing 1 and Thing 2 attacked me. I guess the pain is just so bad that it's hard to float away.

Why am I feeling her pain?

I must be seeing things. Is that Claudine? Is she an angel now?

'I knew that you would be an angel Claudine.'

I hear the screams again and they are getting closer and closer. I can see the girl. She looks just like me! Claudine is talking to her. She knows Claudine. I keep calling for Claudine but she doesn't look my way. She must not be my guardian angel. She must belong to the girl.

'I'm so tired. I'm in so much pain,' I heard the girl say to Claudine.

'Float away, Sookie. Float away.'

Ahhh …I and the girl have the same name.

'Don't listen to the girl screaming. Think of what makes you the happiest and the safest,' Claudine whispered in our ear. Only one name came to mind.

Eric.

He looked so good in his tuxedo tonight. His love just flowed through me. The best of all? He loves me. He believes that he doesn't have a soul but he does. He would have to have one right? You have to have a soul in order to love someone. You can't love without a soul. Hey...

Where's Eric?

Why aren't we at our reception? We are supposed to be leaving for our honeymoon in another hour. Pam and Bill have gone through a lot to get these arrangements set up. We're going to be late and miss our flight. Pam is going to be so pissed. She can be so unreasonable sometimes ... well most of the time. Bill was angry when I was reaching for him. She and Bill may not be too mad; especially since they were fighting when I left ... when I was taken.

Was I taken?

Where's Eric? I hear him calling to me but I can't see him. He's coming though. I know that much. He's coming.

Why am I so sleepy? My body is so sore. I'll take a quick nap and Eric can wake me when he gets home; I think I'm at home. It doesn't feel like our home. Our home is filled with love and happiness. Our home is our safe haven. This place is not home. We're not safe here. I'm hurting too much for this place to be home.

Where's Eric?

It doesn't matter. He will find me. He knows that I need him. I'll wait for him. I will just lay right here and wait for him. That's what I'll do. He'll come to me. I can close my eyes and so that I remember how he looks at me; the sound of his voice as he's telling me how much he loves me. I've never been loved like this before.

'Stay awake Sookie.'

Niall; is that you?

I tried lifting m head but can't. Oh, well. If it is you, I need you grandpa. I thought that you were at the wedding with Bill and Pam? I thought that you were helping them. You go and help them. You can wake me up when you get back. You'll do that, right grandpa; wake me when you get back? I have to get ready for our honeymoon. Eric's taking me to the most beautiful place ... I think. They won't tell me where we're going.

'I need for you to stay awake.'

Can't you do this without me? Please just let me rest for awhile.

'Not now my dearest. You need to stay awake.'

Ok, grandpa. I'll do it for you but if I get too sleepy, I'm going to sleep.

Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea; my gown is ruined. I told Eric that I shouldn't get married in white. I wish that I had been a virgin when we married. It would have been great to save myself for Eric. I loved Bill but not the way that I love Eric. I've never loved anyone the way that I love Eric.

**Tears**

My beautiful dress is ruined. I wanted to keep it forever. There's Tru Blood all over it ... or is it mine?

Grandpa?

He was supposed to dance with me too.

I keep coming back to the pain. Why are they hurting me? I keep screaming but nothing is coming out. Screaming, screaming, and screaming ... nothing. Why can't Eric hear me? Can't he feel what they're doing to me? What is taking him so long to get to me? Why isn't my mouth working? Who is yelling so damned loud? Please shut up! I have a splitting headache.

Hey, there he is.

When did he get here? How did he get here? I try to sit up but ... I reach for him but he's too far away. He's reaching for me. He needs me! Eric needs me! I'm coming baby! Hold on; I'm coming! Why he is yelling at me? I see that he's coming. I know that you're doing the best that you can to get to me, baby.

Wait.

Why are they holding him like that?

I try to scream for him but I can't. Nothing is coming out. Why is my face burning? Oh my …they have silver on him! Don't they know that can weaken him? Please let him go! I'm coming for you.

Eric! Eric!

Can't you hear me? Where is my voice?

'It's either the faery or you Sheriff. Decide now or you both die.'

He looks at me and mouths the words 'I love you'.

This cannot be happening! This isn't happening! We're supposed to be fine after our wedding. Niall said that everything would work out for the better! Where in the fuck is the better! It sure ain't here. Where is Niall? He promised me! We're supposed to be happy! I want us to be happy!

I need to get up from this floor.

Where is our happily ever after? Why did Cinderella deserve it ... Belle ... Snow White ... Norman Bates? What makes them better than me and Eric? I believe in fairy tales. I believe in love. I believe in us. Why won't the bad just go away? Why can't we start all over and get rid of the bad stuff? Am I that bad of a person that happiness and love are not meant for me? What's wrong with me?

I can stand up! The wall has helped me to stand up. Thank you, wall. That was so nice of you.

Screaming, screaming, and screaming.

Suddenly everything stops. I slide to the ground; my arms sprawl out by my sides. Everything is so quiet now. There is no noise. No tremble. Only peace. My heartbeat is almost silent. It was pounding in my chest earlier but not now. Now it's slowing down. My head is quiet. The screams have stopped. The pain isn't as bad. I am surrounded by peace.

Eric. Can you feel it baby? Isn't it beautiful? You said that you would never get to see the light again. Can you see it?

I look at Eric and smile. "Can you see it? Isn't it beautiful?"

Awww; I think he heard me.

From the look on his face, he can. He feels the peace and the quiet. He doesn't seem to like it, though. He doesn't know what he's missing. I look at him and smile. It's a task but I bring my hand to my mouth and blow him a kiss. He frantically shakes his head no. He's yelling something but I can't hear him. Don't talk so fast Eric. I could hear you if you didn't talk so fast. I put my finger to my mouth and tell him to shush.

"Kill him," the voice says. I've found my voice.

What the hell? I'm dying anyway. If Eric won't do it, then I guess it's up to me.

"I PROMISE! I PROMISE! I PROMISE!" I scream at the top of my lungs. He can't die! "If you love me, you'll promise! Don't make me watch them kill you! I'll die. I'll just die without you!"

Bloody tears streak Eric's face. The traitors release him and he drops to his knees. "

"Sookie," is all that he says.

How did they get the silver on him? He was doing so well when I was taken. Did he let them capture him because of me? I wished that he hadn't have done that. Look at what they've done to him because of me. Maybe the people of Bon Temps are right about me. Maybe I am no good. I look at my husband; my poor, sweet baby.

He looks across the room at me. "Sookie please." His eyes were begging me to be quiet; to not do this. I can't. He's mine. He promised me forever. If he dies first, he lied. They have to let him go in order for this to work. We won't have our forever if he dies.

I love him.

Please forgive me for what I am about to say. "I will never forgive you if you don't promise. If you make me watch your death, I swear, I'll never forgive you. I will walk this world hating what you made me do. I'll blame you until the day that I die. You can't die. I'll be alone. I won't have you to come back to." The tears are burning the open wounds on my face.

He closed his eyes and held his head down so that he wouldn't have to look at me. He nodded weakly.

There was harsh and unforgiving laughter. 'So it is true; your pet does rule you.'

I scream again. His pain is killing me. It is breaking my dying heart. I send him my love and every good emotion that I can muster up. I'm so sorry Eric.

'You are powerful to have a vampire bend to your will; especially a Viking as old as Northman. You will be very valuable in my kingdom. It's a shame that you waited so long to decide." The thing touches my head as if I am a pet.

If I had the energy, I would have killed it myself.

I smile at my husband. "I'm yours."

I look at my would-be assassin. You get a smile too. I think I said it out loud. I don't know. "If you want to be happy, you have to make sacrifices right?" I narrow my eyes down to slits in order to see what's before me. I smile before I look up at the thing. "I wish that I could stay to see you die. They're here!"

Bill, I knew that you would come. My vampires are here! Mustapha! You came. You said that you would come and you came. My heavy and weary eyes follow that light that is hovering over me. The beautiful and bloody figure reaches for me. I'm so tired. I can rest now. I can finally close my eyes. I fall asleep to sounds of Eric screaming my name.

"Wait for me, Sookie! Please; don't leave me! I'm coming for you! Wait for me!"

Just give me a minute baby. I'm so tired. His voice fades from my mind.

A warm light covers me and I look up. 'Thank you for coming for me.'

Chocolate brown eyes outlined blood stare at me. His mouth is moving but I hear nothing. I only smile.

The light hovers over us both. It's speaking to me. It's Niall.

"It's okay now baby girl. Grandpa's going to take care of everything."

* * *

><p>While I was brushing my teeth, I keep wondering why I am so tired. I went to sleep not thirty seconds after I talked to Eric. It had to been those strange dreams of sex and murder<strong>.<strong> I was going to let Eric turn me into a vampire so that we could be together forever and then the next thing I know, I'm dying. I rinsed my mouth and inspected my teeth. I swished some Scope through my mouth and inhaled the minty taste.

"They're just dreams. Bad dreams have no place in my life. They are banish-ed." When I fell asleep last night Romeo and Juliet was on. Maybe that's what caused the dream; lovers being torn apart and not being allowed to have the chance to be together. Enough lollygagging; I have to get ready for work. I nodded at myself in the mirror and made my way to my bedroom.

A white pants suit with a pale orange silk sleeveless tank top is going to be my wardrobe choice for the day. This suit is perfect for the first day of spring. I am not going to wear my hair in a tight bun today. No; I am going do something different. I am going to wear my hair down.

I've never worn my hair down at the office. I've always thought that it made me look unprofessional. Well, not today and not anymore. I hot curled my hair and let the big, bouncy curls hang over my shoulders and fall down my back. A minimal amount of make-up and matching pale orange wedges will complete the outfit. Once I was dressed to impress, I admired myself in the mirror once more. I twirled around a couple of times and I was pleased with what I saw before me.

Nice.

I looked at the clock. Shit! I had spent too much time getting ready. I was going to be late. I'm never late. I ran downstairs to put food and water in Tabitha's bowls. Thank God I have a coffee maker with a timer. I grabbed a quick cup of coffee and made myself a slice of toast with plum jam. I only had time for a quick swallow of coffee and bite of toast.

"Bye, mommy's baby," I said as I kissed Tabitha good-bye. I looked at my watch and I had to go. I grabbed my briefcase, purse and keys before heading to work. Shit, I ran back upstairs and grab my cell from the nightstand and threw it in my purse.

I have to say that today is my lucky day. Every light was green and the traffic was light. Maybe my day isn't going to be so bad after all. No one was in my parking space. I got so excited that I pulled into my parking spot a little faster than I intended. Squealing tires, staring co-workers; oops. I looked at my watch again.

Shit; I had ten minutes.

Maybe I shouldn't have worn the wedges. I never realized how hard it is to run in a pair of wedges. Note to self: Remember to bring sneakers the next time I wear wedges**.** Just as I was running up the steps to my office building, my cell began to ring.

"Shit," I mumbled. "Stackhouse here; what is it?"

I heard my secretary clear her throat. "I'm sorry to bother you, Sookie but you have a guest in your office. He's been here for quite some time. Do I tell him that you're on your way or should I tell him to come back later?"

"I'm on my way up now. Sorry for snapping at you Belinda but I'm running late."

I hung up on her before she could answer. I dropped my phone in my purse and sighed. Rushing makes me a bitch. I was going to be doing some serious apologizing this morning. I step onto the elevator and realize that I am the only woman. The men have never stared at me the way that they are staring at me this morning. Smiles were being aimed at me from every direction. I even think a couple of them winked at me. I gave him a quick grin and turned my head.

Why are they acting like this? I am the same Sookie Stackhouse from yesterday. The only difference is that I'm wearing my hair down. And get this. Each of them said good morning instead of giving me their usual head nod. There is no way I'm going to let that slide.

I gave them the head nod. When I turned my back to them, I listened in on their thoughts. A couple of the men contemplated asking for my number. One of them thought of asking me out for lunch. One said that he would marry me after just a couple of dates. His mother would love me. He even went so far as to imagine what our children would look like. One had the nerve to think that his wife would never know.

When I reached my floor and stepped from the elevator, the eyes from the elevator followed me. I turned around to see each man with their heads sticking out of the elevator doors watching me. A couple of them were decapitated. The receptionist looked up and back down and then up again.

"Good morning … Ms. Stackhouse?"

"Good morning, Meredith."

She stood up and motioned for the other receptionists. They all watched me as I walked to my office. They had the same looks on their faces as the men from the elevator.

Do I really look that different?

"Well, look at you. You look hotter than a whore on the 4th of July." I closed my eyes and winced. I looked to my right and there she was. Amelia; it is too early in the morning for this.

"Not this early Amelia. Please."

She giggled.

Amelia was looking at me as if I was going to be her date for the night. She was leaving the Coffee House sipping on a latte and carrying a large black coffee for me. Beck, the cashier of the Coffee House, was listening to our banter and was shaking his head as he laughed.

Amelia and I have been like this since day one. She and I were dorm mates from the time we started college until the day we left. When I first met her, I thought that she was going to be the perfect dorm mate for me. She is neat and smart. She has a great sense of humor and she has such great style. She was going to be the perfect roommate for me.

Or so I thought.

She is just as annoying now as she was then but she is tolerable. She's a neat freak when she gets upset and nervous, and she has no boundaries. She is very experimental when it comes to life in general. She is extremely blunt and arrogant. She's tougher than a two dollar steak.

I'm the total opposite. I'm quiet and keep to myself. When I get upset and nervous, I keep to myself. I have boundaries. I've never been experimental. We do have one common trait. We love the extraordinary and the different. Our differences balance us out perfectly. She is irritating as hell but she is the perfect match for me.

We are the same age and she loves to tan just as much as I do. She has chestnut brown hair and her eyes are a bright and vivacious blue. I am blond and my eyes are bluer and just a tad bit brighter and a little more vivacious. She is a free spirit. I try to be cautious. I think that is what drew me to her; the life that I see in her eyes and her mind is open to new and different things. She's just as accepting of others differences as I am.

She is also very loyal. She is the only real friend that I had in college. We had our sorority sisters but they were nothing to me like Amelia was. They all thought that I was a little odd but Amelia liked that I was different. She doesn't know that I'm telepathic. She thinks that I'm psychic. I've never told her any different. She's told me that if there is ever anything that I need to tell her, be it now or something sixty years down the road, she would listen. She accepts my differences because she's different.

She's a witch and a very good witch at that.

"Come on, sexy," she goaded. "Why the new look?"

"Not now, Amelia," I said. "I'm running late. I don't have time for your shit this morning."

We fall into step as we walk to my office. She reaches over and lets my hair fall through her fingers. "All jokes aside, you look really pretty today." She winked at me and waggled her ugly tongue at me.

"Why do you do that? You know that I hate it." She knows that when she looks at me like that it makes me uncomfortable. "Forget it. Do I really look that different?" I told her about the reactions and looks that I'd gotten since I'd gotten there.

She looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. "You're joking right? You usually look like an unapproachable librarian with a light pole stuck 15 inches up her ass. That tight ass bun that you usually style your hair in should've been taken down long ago. Those ugly, shapeless dresses look like potato sacks. You're a beautiful girl; you need to show it. Oh, did Belinda call you and tell you that Desmond's here?"

My eyes brightened. "Yeah but she didn't say that it was Desmond. I was running a little late this morning." It was going to be great seeing him but I have other things on my mind …the dreams.

The dreams were taking over my thoughts. Well the sex dream was taking over my thoughts; mmmmm. It was so real. Eric was telling me that he loves me. I was making love to him. It was almost as if I could feel him. His mouth felt so good on mine. His fingers were touching me. His fangs felt so good as they...

"Sookie, did you hear me?" Amelia asked.

"What?" I asked. My fingers were tracing along my neck. I feel the heat flooding my cheeks when I turned to face Amelia.

"Lunch; do you want to have lunch today? I'm getting off early. I have no meetings and I have no clients coming in after three."

She owns the dating consultant firm upstairs and she is extremely successful. She has some very influential and powerful clients. Many of them are celebrities and political figures. She is successful because she knew how to be discreet; plus she spells her employees and files. I think she spells her clients too but I'll never tell.

"Yeah; I only have to see three clients today so we can do that."

She stepped back and looked at me. "Are you blushing?" Her mouth dropped wide open. "What did you do last night?" She put her hand over her mouth and squealed. "Did you finally get fucked last night? You did, didn't you? You got fucked. Was it good? How big is his ...?"

"You are so vulgar." Glad that we had reached my office before she could say anything else, I told her that I would talk to her later. "I can't talk right now but I'll tell you at lunch." I kissed her cheek before going into my office.

She yelled hello to Desmond as I slammed the door in her face.

"I see that Amelia is still in rare form," he said.

"Isn't she always?" I asked with a smile.

There stood Desmond Cataliades; my godfather. His arms were wide open. He was the roundest but strongest man I'd ever met. It may be because he's a daemon. Saying that he's a daemon doesn't mean that he is a bad person; that is his species. He has dark hair, eyes, and skin. He has the whitest, sharpest teeth I've ever seen but he is one of the sweetest daemons I've ever met; I've only met two but still. He's an attorney and I've heard some things about his ruthlessness. He's the most feared and sought after attorney in the state. He's only ever been beyond sweet to me. He's also telepathic.

He is a very good friend of my grandpa's. Desmond's been around since I was in diapers. He taught me everything that I know. Grandpa felt that it would be better if Desmond taught me how to control and use my gift. I couldn't imagine going through school or college or even life for that matter, with everyone else's thoughts running through my head all at once. I'm so grateful for him.

Before I found out that he was telepathic, I always believed that I was the only one. When I would go into his head, there was only a light buzzing. He was the second person that I had the pleasure of knowing that was not completely human. The first was my grandpa; I just don't know what he was. He would never tell me. He told me that it was because he thinks differently than others. I knew that it wasn't exactly true but I never said anything about it. It was as if he wanted to keep that part of himself hidden from me. He seemed to always be protecting me.

From what, you ask. I don't know. It doesn't really matter. I love him.

I'll always love him.

When I was three, Desmond got into my head and started talking to me with his mind. When he was teaching me to control my telepathy, I could read his mind and match his skills. Grandpa said that I was Desmond's favorite student. Come to find out, I was his only telepathic student. At least that's the story that he and grandpa told me. I can't remember that far back.

I put my coffee on the table with my briefcase and my jacket and purse on the coat rack. I ran to Desmond and hugged him. "I have missed you. Where have you been?"

"I have been busy. I am in town to see Diantha off before she goes to Paris for vacation. She's going with kin and she wants to see me before she leaves. She sent me quite a few text messages. Her last message was a threat so I decided that if I did not want to meet the wrath of Diantha, I needed to come to Shreveport."

"Would you like something to eat or to drink?" I asked him as I walked him to the couch.

"Iced water would be fine." I grabbed him a glass and a bottle of water from the fridge and made his water with three cubes of ice. He always says more than three of anything is just greedy. I handed him his drink and he sipped it ever so gentlemanly. I would expect nothing else from him.

"Paris, huh; is Diantha excited?"

She's Desmond's niece. That means she's daemon but only half. Their only differences are that Diantha's more fashionable and a lot less stiff but she's just as deadly. He trained her as well. Because she's different, she had a different type of training. She was trained to kill for protection purposes.

"She's very excited. She can't wait to go. Can you imagine the clothes that she will bring home? I shudder to think how she'll look upon her return." He sighed and shook his head sadly. "Things must be going well. You look beautiful."

"My career is just the absolute best. I emailed you about my promotion and my raise. It's pretty impressive, huh? Can I get a pound on that?"

I offered Desmond my fist so that we could bump them. He looked from my fist to me. I shrugged and continued talking.

"I am so much happier living here in Shreveport than I was in Baton Rouge. But, my job Desmond, I love my job. I love working with these children. Many of the children that take these medications for mental issues don't have mental issues at all. Pills make it easier for the parents to handle them. After I work with them, all of my children are taken off of their meds. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you to help me. I am so thankful to have had you."

He was smiling until I said that. "I can't take credit for that. It was the hard work on your part. It was you. Your grandparents would be so proud of you; especially Niall. He would be and he _is_ proud of you."

Being a Christian has always been my touchstone. Gran was big into the church and she made sure that Jason and I went every Sunday. Niall rarely ever went. I don't remember him ever going with us when I think about it. She raised us to love everyone; regardless of who or what they were.

"Thank you so much for saying that. Now, why is it that I have not seen you since my graduation? You used to call me or come by at least twice a week. You could send me letter every once in awhile."

"My practice keeps me busy; so many clients, so little time. Pretty soon, I'll be retiring. And Sookie, you don't need me to be around you. You are doing just fine. Everything is right on track for you. Others may think that things are moving a little too fast but you are right on track."

At least someone other than Amelia is proud of my accomplishments and not saying that I've done the unthinkable to make it. I'm also glad to hear that he is retiring. He's worked long and hard enough. He needs a life. I asked him how Priscilla, his wife, was doing.

He said that he is planning a long vacation with her when he retires. "It is long overdue. We've worked hard for what we have and it's time that we enjoy it. She deserves to be treated like a queen after putting up with me for all of these years."

We talked until Belinda buzzed me to let me know that my first client has arrived.

As I walked with Desmond to the elevator, I said, "Don't be away for so long next time. I miss you. I need my family around me."

He looked at me seriously and said, "No you don't. You are a lot happier and safer now. When you were a little girl, your grandpa asked you what you wanted more than anything in this world. Do you remember what you told him?"

I shook my head. I don't remember much of anything.

"You said, 'Grandpa, I want to be happy. I want all of the bad stuff to go away.' He said that all you had to do was really want it and it is yours. That can only happen if you take the chance to work on you and not everyone else. This time, you have to decide what it is that you want. It's time for you to make your own choices instead of having them made for you. True happiness comes from within. You have to be happy with who you truly are. Do you understand?"

I nod. I remember when Gran would make me wear those ugly dresses and those ugly patent leather shoes that made my feet sweat; the funny hat that she knitted for me with ear flaps and the turkey waddle on the top of it. I remember when Jason got to get the biggest piece of cake because he was the oldest. Everyone decided for me.

No more ugly dresses or ugly patent leather shoes. No more ugly knit caps and if I wanted the biggest piece of cake, then I could have it. Desmond is right. It is my time.

"You're right, Desmond. This is my time."

"Yes it is, my dear. Don't worry about us. I'm fine. Jason will be fine. When it's time, you'll see him again. Things will fall into place and your life will be as it should be. When and if you need me, which you will not, I will be here. You need only call." He leaned in and kissed my cheek once more. He looked into my eyes and said, "Yes my dearest Sookie, you will be just fine."

As we stood in front of the elevator, I said, "I love you Desmond. See ya."

As he stepped inside, he said, "And I you, my dear." Being the gentleman that he is, he bowed to me as the doors closed. He is right; it is my time.

When I went back into my office, I buzzed Belinda to let her know that I was ready for my first patient. I took a drink of my coffee as she brought him in. He was looking down at the floor when Belinda led him in. I prefer that the children come in with Belinda on their first visit because it's easier when the parents aren't being used as hiding places. Since they don't know Belinda, they won't hide behind her.

I stooped down in front of him and said, "Hi, I'm Sookie. What's your name?" He was absolutely adorable. He had the cutest little button nose.

He looked at me through hooded eyes. A faint smile flickered across his small face. He looked down at the floor again and put his hands over his ears. Well, I won't have to question him a lot to figure out his 'mental issue'.

This time without opening my mouth, I said, "Sweetie, I won't hurt you. I promise. You can trust me."

His eyes widened with surprise. He leapt forward and wrapped his little arms around my neck. He mimicked my method of communication. "You're like me?" he asked.

I stood up with the boy still swinging from my neck like a little monkey. I looked at Belinda and said, "Thank you. You can go now. Please make sure that no one disturbs us okay …oh, and Belinda?"

"Yes, Ms. Stackhouse."

"I'm sorry about this morning."

"No worries, Ms. Stackhouse." Belinda left my office; silently closing the door behind her.

I carried the boy to the play area of my office. Since I am the most successful child therapist here, I have been given the largest office on our floor. That allowed me to have a few extras for the children. There are toys and a little table. I have a TV and blu-ray player with all of the latest children's movies and a little ABC carpet with a matching couch. There's a snack area. I don't just cater to the children. I did not forget about the parents.

I have a sitting area for meetings when I have to have discussions with them; two leather couches and a coffee table. I also have drinks and snacks for the parents. In order to provide them with a beautiful view, my desk sits in front of the floor to ceiling window. I have a basic computer, an iPad, and laptop and cell phone that the company pays for. I also get other perks that the other therapists don't get. And that's why they give me a hard time.

When I first started working here, my original office had a two-way mirror and cameras. They needed to monitor my cases since I was new. I just had to be careful with the methods that I used to help my children. Over time, things changed pretty quickly.

I have the highest success rate than any therapist in the building. My children were the happiest. It had gotten to the point that the other therapists on our floor started losing their patients to me. The parents were pleased with what I'd done. I sky rocketed from there. After so many new patients, I started to get different types of clients with different 'mental issues'. When I was promoted to head of our department after being here for just over a year, I decided that is when I needed to make some changes. That's when I had the cameras and mirrors removed.

Mr. Haynes said that it was not an option. He said that it is a necessity for all therapists. Needless to say I didn't agree. I couldn't risk the children's' secrets getting out. That would've put us all in danger. I couldn't have that. I told him that if he did not remove the mirrors or the cameras then I would remove myself and my patients from the facility.

I don't have two-way mirrors or cameras like the others. No one is monitoring my sessions and my children are happy. I'm happy but not completely. I don't trust Mr. Haynes; never have. So, I have an outside source to come in everyday and sweep my office for hidden devices. I bought my own office equipment. My computer, laptop, and cell phone look exactly like the ones that the company gave me. I can never be too safe. I'll do anything to protect these children; even sacrifice my office relationships.

The other therapists aren't happy with me. They say that I've slept my way to the bigger office and to the promotion. I come from money and my family bought the position for me. No one on this floor cares too much for me except for Belinda. The rest of them disliking me, I'm okay with it. They only invited me to the Merlotte's shindig because it was a baby shower for a co-worker and because I was in the cafeteria when they were discussing it. I don't let the ramblings of a jealous few take my attentions from my job. My children are what are important.

I walked the boy to the play area and put him down on the mat. He is the typical eight year old boy. He went straight for the Legos and the Hot Wheels.

Verbally, I said to him, "Are you my friend?"

He gave me a long look but still doesn't speak.

"Well, if I'm your friend," I said in a pouty and child-like voice, "you can tell me your name. I told you mine."

He still said nothing.

I then folded my arms to my chest and stomped my foot. "That's not fair. I don't know what to call you." I find it easier to let them open up to me on their own. I've seen what happens when you push them. It's not pretty.

The boy looked up at me and laughed. "You're too old to act like me."

"Old?" I asked. I bent a little at the waist with my hands on my hips and said, "I am not old. Can an old lady do this?" I stuck a thumb in each ear and waved my hands back and forth. I stuck my tongue out and start kicking my legs out from side to side. The topper; I crossed my eyes.

He laughed so hard that he had to hold onto his side. The more he laughed, the longer I danced. "Yes! Old people can dance! My daddy can dance." He continued to laugh.

I stopped dancing and looked at him. "That was not an old person's dance."

After my _'Dancing With the Stars'_ routine, I stand there and watch him as he plays some more. He is absolutely adorable. I would love to have a son like him. I would love and hug him all day. Blond hair and blue eyes stand out against his toasty skin.

"Do you like to play in the park?"

He looked up at me and smiled. He loved the park but I can hear that he won't tell me. He shook his head no.

"I only asked because you have on sandals. A little boy that I know always wears sandals to the park."

I could feel him trying to get in my mind. It felt like a tickle. I never let him know that I can feel what he's trying to do. Because he couldn't get in, he gave up and still said nothing.

"I like the park." I sat down on the mat with him. "I love the swings and the slide. When I was a little girl, my favorite was the merry-go-round."

When I tried to add a Lego onto his building, he moved it away from me.

"Sorry."

I sat there for a minute longer and then I left him alone. I walked to my desk and looked through his files; colorful, fish, peanuts, and purple or white. The jungle, love, images, dreams, and hugs. Everything is written in code. I don't trust anyone when it comes to my children. Nothing that I've written is as it seems. I never use the same code twice. Not even the parents know what my codes are. Some of _them_ can't be trusted.

After I got what I wanted from his file, I went to the snack area. I grabbed a pack of Nutter Butters and two cartons of milk. The boy was watching me as I put the cookies and milk on the table in the TV area. I took _'Finding Nemo'_ disc from the DVD stand. He turned all the way around and was now watching me. I ignored him. I put the movie in and I sat on the kiddie couch. I picked up the remote and started the movie.

Once the movie starts, I open the cookies and both cartons of milk. _'Operation I've Gotcha'_ had been activated. Within the first five minutes of the movie, he's making his way to the couch. He looked at me while I looked at the TV. He sat down and scooted close to me. I offered him the milk and a cookie. For the next three hours or so, we watched _'Finding Nemo'_ and _'The Lion King'_. By the time the last movie was over, the session was done and there was a knock at the door.

Belinda entered with the boy's dad. His mouth dropped open when he saw me. I guess I do look different. The first time that we met, he barely looked at me. I had to say it, daddy is looking pretty hot. Thick, wavy sandy blond hair and pretty brown eyes, nice build; He's eye candy but he doesn't compare to Eric.

The boy giggled and puts his hand over his mouth.

I looked at him and say, "You stop that." I couldn't help but return his smile with a wink.

I left the boy on the couch and went over to his dad. "How did he do?" he asked as he offered me his hand.

The first time I met Mr. Savoy, he didn't really have too much to say to me. His only concern was his son. I was happy about that. When I read him, which is something that I do with all parents, I knew that he was sincere in wanting to get his son the help that he needs. He wanted to get his son with me as soon as he could.

After I returned his greeting, I said, "He was great. I had fun with him." When I said that, the boy came over to stand beside his dad. "I don't think that he's my friend yet but we did have fun didn't we …I don't know your name. What am I supposed to call you?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

I stomped my foot and the boy smiled at me. His dad was staring at me and he was smiling. In his mind, he was thinking of how he was going to ask me out but he wasn't sure if he should since I'm his son's therapist. I agreed; it's not a good idea.

He hid behind his dad's leg and peeked at me. "I think that you did make a friend, Ms. Stackhouse," his father said.

"Did I?" I asked the boy. "I'm not so sure."

"Yes, I'm your friend." He tugged at his dad's shirt and asked, "Can I come back again, daddy?"

Mr. Savoy looked down at his son and said, "Yes. You sure can come back." He turned back to me and offered me his hand once again. "Thank you." He added an extra squeeze to that handshake.

I slowly took my hand and smiled. "No problem, Mr. Savoy." I looked into his eyes and they were happy. His mind was filled with happy images. He loves his son.

I looked at his son and without speaking, I said, "_I will never tell your secrets. I will never write them down. I keep them up here._" I pretended to scratch my head.

"Ms. Stackhouse?" Mr. Savoy said.

"Yes."

"Will it be okay if you and I …"

Belinda walked into the room to tell me that my next appointment was there. Perfect timing, Belinda; she deserves a raise. "Do you want me to set up another appointment with this cutie pie before he goes home?" She winked at my newest patient.

"Yes. Mr. Savoy, let Belinda know what days are best for you. I like to keep the children on the same schedule when they come in. If that does not work for you, let Belinda know the days that you would prefer. Also here." I went to my desk to get one of my cards. I can feel him watching me as I walked away. When I turned back around, I caught his eyes and he was blushing. I pretended not to notice. "This is my cell number if he ever needs me after hours. The number on the bottom is for my answering service if you can't reach me."

"Thanks, Ms. Stackhouse."

"Not a problem." I bent down to kiss the boy's cheek. "Bye …shoot; I still don't know your name."

"Bye Sookie," he said.

I jumped back surprised and placed my hands on either side of my face. I look like Kevin from 'Home Alone'.

"Bye stranger," I said sadly.

"I'm not a stranger. You know who I am. I'm Hunter."

"You really are my friend!"

"Yep," he said as he waved at me.

"Good-bye Mrs. Stackhouse," said Mr. Savoy.

"Please call me Sookie. Be sure to get your appointment card from Belinda. I'll see you all next week." I turned to walk to my desk and I could feel him staring at me. When I heard the door close behind him, I buzzed Belinda to have her send in my next patient.

Little Katie Brookes comes running at me to give me my third best ever hug of the day. "Hey Miss. Sookie, you look so pretty today." Little Katie kissed my cheek.

"Well thank you, Katie. I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you are."

I put her down and she took my hand and led me to the play area. "So what are we going to do today, Miss. Sookie?"

I looked down one of the prettiest little girls that I knew and smiled. "We're going to have fun today."

Katie started jumping up and down and giggling ... so did the rag dolls.

I love my job.


	9. Chapter 9

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 9**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. You all are the absolute best.**

**This chapter is going to follow Sookie's PoV from the last chapter.**

**If I forgot to include my disclaimer, on any other chapters and any chapter hereafter, I want Ms. Charlaine Harris and other readers to know that I am aware that she owns all of the main characters. I cannot say this enough; this goes for past and future chapters. I will do my best to keep the lawyers at bay. In the words of our dear President Nixon, 'I am not a crook.'**

* * *

><p>It is Thursday; 3:00 in the afternoon and my weekend has officially begun. I had only one patient that I was to see tomorrow but due to an illness, she won't be coming. Belinda was happy to say that my appointment for Friday has been canceled.<p>

"Three day weekend?" she asked. The images in her head were telling me that she had some serious plans and she couldn't wait to get them started. How could I say no to a face like that?

"Three day weekend it is." She hopped a little and she thanked me with a giggle. She ran out of the office to call her friend to let him know that they had an extra day together. I haven't had a three day weekend in ages. As a matter of fact, I couldn't remember the last time I'd a long weekend. Coupled with my pending date, this weekend couldn't possibly get any better. I thought that I could even leave the office before 5:00.

My phone began to ring.

Amelia was calling to let me know that she had an unscheduled arrival and we had to change our late lunch date into a dinner date. "I'm sorry but he just walked in. You know that I am not turning down any millionaire clients. That will cut into my shopping money."

I could see the miniature cash registers dancing around her head. She loved nothing more than shopping. She also loved a good clearance sale; what woman doesn't?

"Millionaire; who is it this time? If it's Gerard Butler, I'm going to choke the shit of you. I told you that if he ever comes in to call me. He won't need to pay your ridiculous fee. I have to make him see that a woman with curves is sexy. Hips do not make a woman fat. A bony pair of arms cannot be inviting. Naomi Campbell is not sexy."

"Maybe if her attitude was a little better, she could be. I promise you that I will tell you but darling, but it is not him. You are the physical type for the guy that is here today. He's not your type mentally, though. He likes 'em young, pretty, blond, and dumb. You'd have to dumb yourself down in order to be with him." She snorted when she said that. "He does require that his potential sex partner has a nice body. You're not his type. You have ambition _and_ you're beautiful."

What kind of man wants a woman that doesn't have her own career or anything else for that matter? "Who is this loser?"

"He's a television icon; supposedly. That's how he describes himself. I don't know if he really is or not but I can tell you this. He is extremely wealthy ... and old ... I mean like 90 but as the old adage goes, you're never too old for love. One thing that could work in his favor is that you can take care of him. Ninety year old men need to be taken care of; O-L-D."

If she thinks that 90 years old is old, what would she think of Eric?

"Up yours Amelia," I retorted. "Am I that desperate? What's going on? You never pass up millionaires. You'd play along with him just so he could take you shopping." The Amelia that I know would put on a blond wig and a padded bra if she thought that he would take her shopping. "I've known you too long to fall for this trap."

Then it hit me. She's telling me because of who my other crush is. "OMG; is it Anderson Cooper? Just because his hair is silver does not mean he's 90 years old. He is cute but suspect. I can't shake the feeling that he may be a little sweeter than a man should be; if you can pick up what I'm putting down.

"He wishes." In a whispered voice, she said, "It is Larry King; that wrinkled old fart that used to be on CNN. I have no choice but to pass him up. He wants a young, sweet, blonde thang. That's you. I, Amelia Broadway, am happily out of the running."

"You have a blonde wig."

"I can never buy a wig that blond, Sookie Stackhouse."

"There is no way in hell I'm going for that old man. He's ... so old." We each started laughing as we talked about his body and his wrinkles. "Oh, don't forget his old man hair and face and those ugly glasses. Yuck. I'll bet his you-know-what is one little, shriveled up wrinkle. Ewww; I'll bet he shakes when he's having sex if he's on top." We both erupted with laughter.

"He probably slobs when his false teeth slip." We laughed even louder. "Hey, how would you know if anybody shakes when they're on top; young or old? Aren't you 'The Virgin Stackhouse'?"

"You don't have to have sleep around to know what old people look like when they are in the throes of passion. Didn't you see that movie with Jack Nicholson? He was having sex with that young girl, Amanda Peete; terrible actress. Anyway, he was shaking and he's got to be what ... about 102?"

"About. I think he's as old as my dad. Anyway, I'll be down as soon as I'm done with Wrinkles." We giggled again.

"If I finish up my paperwork early, I'll meet you." With a sigh, I ended my call and went back to work.

With my paperwork finally complete, I sat back and relaxed. I thought about Hunter, Katie, and BJ and the progress that they have made. Before long, they will no longer need me. That is my goal. I want them all to succeed and they will. Today has been a good day.

I locked down my files and my desk drawers. I secured my laptop and my desk top. I called my security company from my personal cell and told them to sweep my office twice each day over the weekend. I then called the answering service to let them know that my weekend had started.

"Do not disturb me unless it's an emergency."

Walter, the operator for our answering service, asked me, "Big plans?"

"I really hope so."

"We'll keep our fingers crossed. Have a great weekend."

"You too, Walter," I said. "And thanks."

With my last call done, I looked around my office to be sure that there was nothing left for me to do; there wasn't and I was ready to go.

Just as I grabbed my purse and jacket to go upstairs, Belinda ran into my office with a look of surprise. "Sookie," she said, "you must have one hell of an admirer because he is seriously crazy about you!"

She held the door open and stepped aside so that I could see what was behind her. I couldn't believe it. I dropped my purse and my jacket onto the floor.

There were men entering my office caring vases and vases of yellow and white daisies. I stood in the middle of the floor with my hands over my mouth. They are the brightest yellow and white flowers that I've ever seen and they are for me. The last man to enter was holding a card and a small black box with a big yellow bow wrapped around it.

"You are Miss. Stackhouse?"

"Yeah."

"I am to tell you that last night was the best night of Eric Northman's life in over five years. He has never been happier. When you walked into the club, he knew that his life would never be the same. He said that it is getting harder and harder to have to wait until Friday night to see you. If time permits, he will see you tonight." He bowed to me when his speech was done.

I didn't know what to say or to do so I just stood there.

"He will meet you at your home Friday night at first dark; 7:00 pm." The man holding the card and the box handed me the gifts and bowed to me once again. The other men followed suit before they leaving my office.

As the last man was leaving my office, Amelia entered. The look on her face looked exactly like mine and Belinda's. "What the fuck did you do last night, Sookie?" Amelia walked into the room and smelled each flower as if they were different varieties. "Who did you meet and what did you do to make him do this for you?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

Amelia went from vase to vase and each vase had a card attached to it. After her inspection, Amelia grabbed the first card from the last bouquet that she looked into. _"My every thought is of you,_**" **Amelia read. She picked up another card from another bouquet. It read the same thing. Another and another ... the same ... the same ... She looked over at Belinda.

"Read that card, Belinda."

"My every thought is of you."

Belinda looked at me and asked, "What the fuck did you do last night?"

I didn't know what to say. When I picked my purse and jacket up from the floor, Amelia took them from me. She put my purse on my shoulder and threw my jacket over her arm and waited. I just stood there and looked from Amelia and Belinda with a goofy grin on my face. They both looked as if they are waiting for something.

"Come on Sookie," Belinda begged. She used her head to point towards my hands. "The card and the little black box; are you gonna open them?"

"What's in the box, Sook?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know," I said with a shake of my head.

"Seriously, Sookie, are you high? Open it and see what's in it." Amelia said.

"I guess I can open it, huh? It's mine." I still have that goofy grin on my face as I looked from Amelia to Belinda. I opened the envelope as carefully and as slowly as possible. I didn't want to rip it.

Amelia threw her arms in the air. "Will you hurry the fuck up?"

No, I will not. It is worth taking my time; it is beautiful. The front of the card is made of white velvet and my name is spelled out in little yellow letters. Each letter is raised so that I can feel the details. Daisies and butterflies decorate the card. I've never had a man do such nice things for me before; well my grandpa and Desmond but they are family. They have to do stuff for me. But Eric, he owes me nothing but in just the little time we've known each other, he's done this for me. Slowly and carefully, I open the first card that I'd ever received from a man.

It read, _'I miss you, E'._

I didn't notice that Amelia and Belinda were staring over my shoulder.

"Who is 'E'?" Amelia asked.

Belinda leaned behind me and said to Amelia, "Eric Northman. That's what the delivery man said." She had wonder in her voice. "Did you sleep with this Eric Northman?" she said in my ear.

"A kiss was all that we did and he did that on my cheek." Belinda raised her eyebrows at me. "You pervert. He kissed the cheek on my face."

Amelia looked at me with her mouth wide open. I can see the images of my ... the vampire in her head. "The big blond vampire … the one that owns Fangtasia … the one that everyone woman in Shreveport drools over … the one that has never given a human woman a second look? Is that the one?"

I nodded.

"Motherfucker!" she said. "What the fuck did you do you last night?"

I don't know what I've done to deserve the attentions of Eric Northman. Whatever I'd done, I was going to keep doing it.

I put the card back into the envelope and tucked it inside my purse. I just stared at the little black box. I'm not going to automatically assume that he has bought me a diamond necklace or a diamond bracelet. I hope that he doesn't think that he has to buy me to get me to like him. I already like him. He doesn't have to buy my affections. I am not his girlfriend ... am I? If it is an extravagant gift, I will have no choice but to give it back. I can't accept an expensive gift. I pray to myself silently that it isn't jewelry. I really want this to work.

"Will you open it dammit?"

If I didn't know better, I would think that Amelia yelled at me. She was beginning to bug the hell out of me. I was about to give her what for but the look on her face told me that it wasn't anger in her voice but excitement and happiness for me. Her images were of pure joy. As always, my best friend is happy for me.

"Maybe he gave you a key to his house so that you can do what you want to him. If you need any pointers, let me know. Mmmm; I'll bet he's good," she said wide eyed and nodding.

When I look to the left of me, Belinda was smiling too. "Go on," she motioned toward the box. Same expressions, same images; they are truly my friends.

I inhaled and opened the box. What I saw when I opened the box, made me laugh. Amelia and Belinda looked at the gift and then at each other. There was a look of confusion on their faces but to me, it was hilarious. Eric sent me a lifetime pass to Fangtasia as his personal guest. No cover charge. Always welcome. Always free.

As if it were planned, Amelia and Belinda said once more and in unison, "What the fuck did you do last night?"

I told them some of what happened last night when I went to Fangtasia. They hung on my every word. "You are one lucky bitch," Amelia said.

Belinda asked Amelia what Eric looked like and Amelia was more than happy to tell her.

My heart did a big happy dance. I texted Eric to let him know that I love my flowers and that I will use my lifetime free pass until he tires of me. I told him that I couldn't wait to see him Friday. Before I gave myself a chance to think, I sent him another text. _'I really can't w8 2 c u.'_

Once all of the excitement was over, Amelia and Belinda helped me take the flowers home. After we arranged the flowers in my living room, kitchen, guest bedrooms, den, and my bedroom, I made each of us a glass of tea before we went to dinner.

"I need to change. Give me fifteen minutes to get ready. Keep trying to talk Belinda into going." I had to get out of those shoes.

"You got it," Amelia yelled after me as I ran upstairs.

I opt for a pale blue halter dress and white sandals. I put on my diamond studded earrings and freshened up my makeup. After brushing my teeth and running my fingers through my hair, I spritzed on a little Obsession and was ready to go.

When I went downstairs, the girls were sitting on the couch laughing at Larry King. Amelia and I tried to get Belinda to come with us to dinner but again, she declined. While Belinda was telling us why she couldn't tag along, Amelia got a call. She motioned towards the door so that we could get a move on.

Once outside, Belinda said that she had to go. "I hope that you get what you want. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you. I like to see you like this. You looked really pretty today."

"Thank you Belinda."

Belinda and I said our good nights. While I was walking to the garage, Amelia was just getting off of the phone and running to catch up to me. "Sookie, wait. I'll drive."

I looked at her surprised. She never wants to drive.

"There's no point in taking two cars. We can take my car and I'll just bring you home later."

She is trying her best to look as if she is being a good friend when we both knew that she is being nosy. I know what is going to happen and it has nothing to do with my telepathy either. She is going ask if we can go to Fangtasia because she's never been; with me anyway. Before she springs the idea on me, she will fake concern about some other issue to show that she truly cares.

"We have to consider the price of gas. It's ridiculous."

See; I told ya.

"Right," I said as sarcastically as possible.

As she walks to the driver's side of the car, she gives me her best 'What did I do wrong?' look. It never works on me but it never stops her from using it.

We haven't even backed out of the driveway before she says, "Hey, do you wanna go to Fang ..."

"No. I'm hungry and I don't think they serve food."

"I just thought that you would want to ..."

"No."

She sighed. "I am just thinking about you, Sook..."

I turned to look at her. The _look_ said it all.

"Okay." She shook her head as if she couldn't believe that I wouldn't listen to her. "I'll tell ya this; it's a sad, sad world when a girl can't show concern for her best friend's budding relationship." She shook her head as if it was the most tragic thing to have ever been said.

I laughed at a girl's best friend.

We decided on the Sit and Spin for dinner. This is _the_ nightclub/restaurant for the young, hip crowd of Shreveport. Everybody comes here; no matter the day of the week or the time of night. If you want to be seen, this is the place. I've been here twice and each time, it's been Amelia's idea. I've never come on my own because this place is just not my speed. I never object because they have the best menu in town. Their mixed drinks are to die for and their playlist is the best. When we enter the restaurant, I look around at the other patrons.

Not everyone there is human. The voids in the air mean that there are vampires here. The different colors indicate that shifters and Weres are here too. There are other creatures here but I can't tell what they are. Everyone's brain pattern is different.

Out of habit, I drop my shields and listen for any danger. Grandpa always told me to do that whenever I enter a crowded establishment_**. **_

'You never know what's lurking behind every door. Always stay alert'**.**

I have never gone anywhere without making sure of my surroundings. So far, everything is okay. There are a lot of voids. I look in the direction of the voids but I only see the darkest corner. I wondered if ... nah; he wouldn't come here. I turned my attentions back to the crowded dance floor. People are dancing and having a great time.

Once Amelia and I are seated, it doesn't take long for us to decide what we want. I haven't eaten anything but Nutter Butters since this morning. Amelia ordered the seared swordfish with steamed asparagus and carrots with garlic and herb bread. I had the medium rare steak with a small baked potato and Cesar salad, no dressing.

While we are eating, we talk about a lot of stuff; everything but what Amelia wants to ask me. She wants me to bring up the subject of Eric but I won't. The questions are flooding her mind. If she wants to know, she'll ask me. I don't have to wait very long. She's about to.

"Okay bitch, since you're going to force me to ask you, what is this Eric Northman like? I have heard of him. They say that the human women adore him but he doesn't give them the time of day. He turns them away each time."

"What have you heard about him?"

Shoving another piece of swordfish into her mouth, she continues. "There are rumors that he was in love once but she's gone. From what I've heard, no other woman interests him; that is until you. They say that he really loved this woman."

"Oh," is all that I can say. I knew that there is no way that he would be single. I wonder what happened to her. Maybe she moved on to another vampire. Maybe she died. When I asked him if he had a girlfriend or a wife, he didn't answer. Maybe he didn't want to hurt my feelings. I never should have gone to that club. I should have gone home.

"So what gives? What is it about you?"

"I don't know. But I can tell you this, when I met him last night, it was almost as if we already knew each other. I felt so comfortable around him. I didn't want to leave. Amelia, I brushed against him last night when I walked past him and I could 'feel' him ... maybe. I even had dreams of him last night that were so real."

"Maybe you're his lost love." She looked me in my eyes and I can see that she's not kidding. "It happens. There are many stories like this is the supe world. A lover dies and another lives; so to speak. The one that's left behind walks the world sad and alone waiting for his or her lost love to return. Love is the most powerful thing in the world, Sookie. When you have been so long without it and you finally have it in your grasps, you never want to let it go." She squeezed my hand and said, "If you found him, it was meant to be."

I'd never seen her more serious.

"Can you imagine a vampire, walking this world forever alone? Imagine him finding his one true love and she dies or she leaves him. Suppose he'd never known love until he'd found her and boom ... she's gone. That is so tragic. Waking up alone and feeling empty inside." She took a sip of her wine. "Maybe it's you."

"I wish." I cleared my throat and said, "I told him things last night; things that I haven't even told you."

She let her fork drop onto her plate. "I know... I _know_ that you did not tell him about your secret. If you told him that you're psychic, I'm going to be so pissed at you."

I looked over her shoulder and waved at a complete stranger. Surprisingly, he waved back and had a huge smile on his face.

"Sookie Stackhouse! How could you? I'm supposed to be your best friend."

I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers. "You are my best friend and I am sorry. I never meant to tell him. It just came out. I don't know why. It just felt right." After an uncomfortable silence, I said, "You've always known what I can do anyway. I'm not a psychic and you know it. You were just waiting for me to tell you."

She pouted as she put a carrot in her mouth. "You still could have told me." She scooted her carrots and asparagus absently around on the plate. "Didn't I tell you that I'm a witch?"

"I know and I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

I hate it when she is mad at me. The longest amount of time spent we've been mad at each other is fifteen minutes but even that is too long when it's your best friend.

"Awww come on. You've kept things from me. Professor Josh Hamilton." Lab coats, test tubes and hoses were involved. I really won't go into any details.

She was about to deny it but I looked at her as if she knew better. "Okay." She shrugged her shoulders and sighed extremely loud. After a few more minutes of silence and eating, Amelia looked up at me; still pouting and said, "I won't be mad if you loan me your black velvet shawl."

"It's a deal. I'll give it to you when you take me home. Sleepover tonight?" I asked.

"If I don't get lucky," she answered. "Hey, how did you end up at Fangtasia's when you were supposed to be going to Merlotte's?"

I swallowed a bite of potato. "Yeah but something happened. Amelia, you know that when I have to be somewhere how I hate to be late and if I've never been to that place, I will leave extra early."

She nodded.

"I couldn't find that place. No matter how I tried, I couldn't find it. Each turn was a dead end and it was completely black; no houses, no street lights, no cars, no nothing. I got tired of driving in circles and decided to call it a night. You'll never believe this but the road that Fangtasia was on, I passed that road at least ten times and I swear to you, the club was not there until I was heading home."

Amelia stopped chewing and looks at me. My dear friend has found a new mission.

"It appeared out of nowhere. It's almost as if I was meant to find Fangtasia and not Merlotte's. I couldn't even find the town of Bon Temps."

"Hmmmm; I have to look into that. That sounds like some kind of magic is going on. I'll call Octavia." If anyone knows, Octavia will. She is Amelia's mentor.

When we finished our meal, we talked a little longer. We talked about my clients; never their names or their gifts; she asked about their personal files and security. She only asked because she is the one that wards my files and office. She wanted to be sure that the wards are still holding. And they are but I have to be careful. That is why I had sweepers.

We talked a little more and then one of Amelia's favorite songs was playing; 'Cheers to the Freakin' Weekend_' _by Rhianna.

"Uh-oh Sook, let's dance!"

With Amelia, you don't get a chance to object. She snatched my hand and dragged me onto the dance floor. It was fun and I loved it. Men started dancing around us. Men always seemed to get excited when women dance together. The crowd circled us and cheered us on. People were holding their drinks up in the air and singing along with the song. This was the most fun I've had in … ever. It was great. I needed to do this more often.

Three more songs play and each song is a 'dance until you can't dance no more' song. Amelia and I were enjoying ourselves. When I suddenly had the feeling the Eric is here. I don't know why but I could almost feel him. Maybe I was feeling that way because of the dream. Maybe it's because of the flowers and the pass. Maybe it was just me because I couldn't get him off of my mind but I can feel him.

Anyway, when the song was over, this guy slips his number into my hand before he leaves with his entourage. He blows me a kiss as his buddies pull him off of the dance floor. He mouthed the words 'call me' and did the praying hands as if he was begging for my attentions. I laughed. I watched the guy as he and his friends departed. I slipped the number in my pocket to throw away later. He isn't my type.

"Here's an oldie but goodie. This is to Sandra from Andrew; tonight's the night that you guys will be 'Sharing the Night Together'. Enjoy all you lovers out there," the DJ said in a sultry tone.

I turned down several dance offers and began the long journey back to our table alone. Suddenly; I stopped dead in my tracks. This time I knew that I could feel him. My heart stopped and dropped to the bottom of my feet.

"Eric," I whispered.

When I turn around, there he is, looking down at me. I wanted to kiss him and hold him. I wanted to love him. He stood tall and he looked absolutely fabulous; every single inch of him. He is dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a Fangtasia tee. His beautiful blond hair is framed around his handsome face. His eyes are fastened on mine with such intensity, I can feel that he wants me and I know that he can feel that I want him.

"Eric," I said again as I touched his face. "I've missed you."

He reached into my pocket and retrieved the phone number that the guy from earlier gave me. "You won't need this."

"I won't," I confirmed as I shook my head.

"Dance with me," he said. His fangs are on display and thankfully he did not try to hide them. They were the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

"I would love to."

As we dance, our eyes are locked. His big strong arms pull me as close as possible to him. My arms are wrapped around his waist so tightly anyone would have believe that he was about to fly away and I am his anchor. I look up at him and I want to feel his mouth on mine. My face begins to flush as the idea of our lips touching floods my mind. I felt my female parts start to tingle. He has a fiery look in his eyes and he inhales. I had never felt like this before. This moment reminds me of the dream; the dream of being in love.

"Eric."

We are still holding each other when the song ends.

"Well, well, well, look at you Ms. Stackhouse. Is this your 'E'?"

I closed my eyes and turned to face a smirking Amelia. When I tried to let go of him, Eric held onto me. If I had blinked I would have missed it but Eric looked at her as if he hates her. Does he know her? A lot of people hate Amelia once they meet her. Maybe she's done something or said something to him and she doesn't remember. She's extremely blunt and has very little tact.

"Eric, this is Amelia. She is my best friend from college. Amelia, this is Eric." Amelia offered Eric her hand.

He reluctantly took his hand from mine and stiffly shook Amelia's and said a short, "Hello." After their greeting, I greedily took his hand back into my own.

Amelia walked around him and looked him up and down. "Nice; very nice Sook," she said as she winked at me. "Are you ready to go home or is your vampire going to take you home? I have to leave early in the morning for Alexandria. I don't want to cut your night short if you want to stay."

When she called him my vampire, I blushed.

"She will be fine. I will make sure that she is safe." Eric left no room for argument.

She kissed my cheek and told me and Eric goodnight. "I'll call you tomorrow on my way back. I don't know how long I'll be there. I have to meet a client. Be safe." Before leaving, she said, "Don't worry about the sleepover tonight. I'm going home." She winked at me and proceeded to leave. "And don't worry about the bill. I'll get it on my way out."

"Call me when you get to Alexandria so that I'll know that you arrived safely. I love you. Don't forget to call me," I called after her as she walked away.

She waved good-bye and said, "Okay, mom."

Once she was gone, I turned my attentions back to Eric. "Thank you so much for the flowers and the pass to Fangtasia. I hope that you don't regret giving it to me when I show up unexpectedly."

"Never," he said.

Eric placed his palm in the small of my back as he led me to the table that Amelia and I had earlier occupied. His cool touch made me quiver all over. When we were seated, Eric was still gripping my hand.

"I could not stop thinking of you last night. I wanted to let you know. I _had_ to let you know." He lifted my hand to his cool lips. His lips felt so familiar. It was as if he had kissed every inch of me. It felt so good that I felt as if I would burst into flames.

I got up from my seat and I sat on Eric's lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I leaned in and kissed him. My heart was beating faster. My skin flushed. His kisses are so sweet. When I opened my eyes, he was looking at me. I slowly removed my lips from his and gave him a coy smile.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"I've wanted to since I'd met you. I dreamt of you last night."

"And I dreamed of you." He gave me a piercing look, and said, "You are so beautiful."

"I'll bet you say that to all of the girls."

"Never."

From the look in his eyes, I know that he means it. He brushed his lips lightly over mine. He kissed along my face and his fangs were still down; he nibbled my earlobe. The sensation sent chills through my body. He kissed and licked my neck. We looked into each other's eyes and a feeling of lust, desire, and everything in between passed back and forth.

Unable to speak above a whisper, I asked, "How did you know that I was here?" I kept my hands on his face as I peppered it lightly with the sweetest of kisses.

Eric reached up and delicately ran a finger down the side of my face. "I was sitting over there," he pointed to the dark corner. "I wanted to see you before you left for the night. Our meeting is taking longer than expected and I wanted to spend some time with you before I have to go back."

I felt my heart fall. "You have to go?" I wanted to stay with him until the dawn; just to talk. I wanted to share my day with him. I want to be a part of his night.

"I don't want to," he said hastily. "There is vampire business that we have to take care of." He looked as if he wanted to tell me more but stopped himself. "I will spend all of tomorrow night with you." His lips were cool against my forehead. "I promise."

I left his lap and took my purse from the other side of the table and draped it over my shoulder. "I understand," I said. "You didn't have to tell Amelia that you'd take me home. I can get a cab. We have tomorrow night to spend together. That's supposed to be our real date anyway."

He stood up quickly. "Don't be upset, my lover. If I did not have to be at the meeting, I would stay the night with you." My heart almost pounded itself right out of my chest. He pulled me to him and we begin to move to whatever song is playing.

"What have you done to me?" I asked as he kissed me. Those fabulous blue eyes were on fire and they had captured me; every inch of me and I loved it.

After that wonderful kiss, he smiled and said, "I am a charmer."

"Yes you are."

"Come, my lover, let me take you home."

When we reached his car, I knew that it had to be his; flashy, beautiful, sleek, and sexy. It was a bright red Corvette. BLDSKR was the license plate. That was too funny.

Once he made sure that I was buckled in, he drove away. I have to say that because he is a man and a vampire, I assumed that he would drive like a maniac. When a sports car is involved most men have no concept of the words 'speed' and 'limit'. Eric must be an exception to the rule; he drove the speed limit. It was as if he was in no hurry to get me home and that in its self made me happy. The best part of the drive was that he did ask me about my day. He seemed to really want to hear about it. He laughed at the right points. He asked questions at the right times. He was just amazing.

"I know that your night has just begun, but how has it been so far?" I asked him.

"Wonderful," he said has he held my hand. "It's been just wonderful."

When we reached my house, my happiness didn't last long. I was sad all over again. He ran to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for me. He reached for my hand and helped me from the car. We walked hand in hand to the front door. Once we were on the porch, I took my keys from my purse and unlocked the door. I turned to Eric and I could tell; no I could feel that he felt the way that I did. He didn't want to go.

"I'm glad that I got to see you tonight. I had a really nice time."

"You couldn't wait to see me?" he asked smugly.

"You are the one that couldn't wait; lurking in corners, stalking me, watching me." I winked at him. "You want me."

"I do." With those two words, my hootchie jumped and his nostrils flared once again. My goodness, I want him.

"You made my day the absolute best. Plus seeing you, I just knew that it couldn't get any better."

"It is always a joy to see you smile."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything for you," he said. When he said that, it startled me. He said that to me before. He said that to me last night in my dream.

"Twice tonight you called me lover. Why?"

"Because you will be my lover, you will be mine and I will be yours."

My heart did a quick thump and I think … I'm not sure … but I think that it stopped. I swallowed deep and hard, "How do you know?"

"Because I know what I want and I want you. You _will_ be my lover." There was no question in his voice when he spoke. I know in my heart that he is right.

He traced his fingers along my face and he lovingly kissed me. I expected a passionate, blow the shoes off my feet and the hair off my head type of kiss. But it was so delicate. When he released my lips, I could feel him all over me. It felt like heaven and I said as much. There was so much electricity in that one kiss. I wished that he would stay. I placed both hands on either side of his waist and leaned the top of my head onto his chest. I looked at my feet. I didn't want him to go. I gripped his shirt tightly in my hands.

"Will you come back, if it's not too late?"

OH MY GOD; did I ask him to come back to my house … at night … while I'll be in bed … alone?

"You don't have to. I mean, it is okay. I was just wondering." Now I was babbling like a brook. Since he couldn't see my face, I squeezed my eyes closed and mentally gave myself a good talking to.

"It will be pretty late when I am done. I don't want to interfere with your rest. Do you have to work tomorrow?"

I shook my head no. I was afraid to speak. I didn't understand why I was feeling this way. Just the thought of him leaving me turned me into a liar and a blubbering mess. I didn't have to speak after all. I began to cry.

"Why can I feel you? Why do I want you? What have you done to me?" I whispered more to myself than to him. "I don't want you to go." I watched as my tears fell onto the porch.

"Sookie," he said.

I didn't look up at him. I turned to go into the house. With my back to him and my hand on the doorknob, I said, "Don't come back tonight. I'm being selfish. I should be glad that I saw you at all. I don't think that you should come back tonight. I may not let you go." With that, I went into the house and leaned against the door.

"Good night, Sookie," he said to the door.

I wanted to throw the door open and beg him to come back to me. I wanted to tell him that never wanted him to leave. Being the coward that I am, I did nothing. I stayed put. I listened to him crank his car and drive away. I kicked the door with the heel of my foot before going upstairs. I ran my bath water as hot as I could stand it and turned on my radio. The song playing described my feelings perfectly; 'I Wish I Was the Moon Tonight'.


	10. Chapter 10

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 10**

**This chapter is going to be Eric's PoV. They are at the club and we will see what has happened through his eyes. Remember, the blood bond was never broken. It was been weakened but still there. The more contact that they have with each other the more things begin to change for Sookie.**

**I hope that you all enjoy; happy reading people.**

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><p>My eyes flew open just before the sunset. She loved the flowers and the pass to Fangtasia! I know this because I can feel her! I can feel her and it is beautiful. She is happy. It isn't just wishful thinking on my part. It's the bond. It has to be the bond. Can it be that the bond was never broken? Is it because she never died? I loved waking to the feeling of her life. I am living again!<p>

Suddenly, I erupt with laughter. I'll bet anything that she thought that the little black box contained an expensive gift. She probably thought diamonds; a necklace or a bracelet. I know that she was nervous when she saw it. If I know my wife, I know that she was contemplating on whether or not to open the gift or send it back to me. She would not be the woman that I fell in love with if she did not want to send it back.

Sookie has always had an aversion of being a kept woman. To this day, I don't know what that means. Is a vampire not supposed to lavish gifts upon the woman that he loves so dearly? Is he supposed to let her go without when he has the means to provide for her? There were times when she needed so much but her pride always got in the way. I've always only wanted to love her more than she's ever been loved before. Not just with my heart but with everything that I am and have. When she decided to belong only to me, she decided to let me love her.

Completely

Totally

She belonged to me in every way.

I sat up in bed and clapped my hands. The lights came on; it was an early wedding gift from Sookie. It is called 'The Clapper'. She said that we needed this for our room because she couldn't wake up in complete darkness. She said that stubbing her toe was not a good feeling.

While thinking of her, my phone began play. It was a text from her. She said that she loves her flowers and her pass. She told me that she would use her pass as often as she could. The cincher is that she said that she can't wait to see me.

My mind wandered back to the previous night. I am an attached and happy vampire once again; only on the inside mind you. The laughing, talking, sharing, togetherness; it was all that I could think of after she left last night. Never in my long life have I hungered after any one woman with the obsession and passion that I do this one. And to make things even better, she was happy to be with me. She was pleased with sitting by my side. She told me her secret and she seemed to be proud of what she can do. She used to be ashamed of her gift. Only five long years ago, she wanted nothing more than to hide it but she shared it with me! I wanted her to be comfortable with me and she was! I'd never cared about how a woman felt. It was never a priority of mine to make them feel anything; other than sexual pleasure. It was always about me and what I wanted. That is, until I met Sookie.

I looked to the right of me and there she was. The most beautiful woman, inside and outside, I'd ever had the privilege to know. I had risen to her smiling face every night since she was taken from me. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was piled high on the top of her head and her tanned skin stood out against her white wedding dress. She looked up at me. I looked down at her.

Right as Pam snapped the picture, Sookie said, "I'm yours forever, Mr. Northman." Happy doesn't describe what I felt that night. It was only minutes later that she was...

In the midst of my thoughts, I got a call. "Northman here," I said.

"Ravenscroft; Russell, Bart, Stan, and Rasul are at the Sit and Spin. Are you still going? Rasul's human works there; he wants to be there when it is time for her shift to end. They want to discuss the issues concerning the FoTSs and the BVA. They believe that the Sit and Spin will be a suitable place to hold the meeting; dark and inconspicuous. Will you be able to attend?"

I want to see Sookie but the FoTSs and BVA members have to be dealt with. "I will be there. What time?"

"An hour after first dark so you have thirty minutes," she said. Without another word said, the call is over.

I rolled out of bed and started my night. I took a quick shower and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I went to the kitchen, warmed a blood, and made my way to the garage. I slipped into the boots that were waiting for me just outside of the garage door and I was soon on my way.

As I drove to the meeting, I thought about Sookie; her soul, her smile, her personality. I am going to get her back and I swear to the gods, I will not waste one minute of spoiling her. I love doing things for her. When she gave herself to me, she accepted everything that came with being my wife. I love nothing more than to see her smile. The simplest things made her happy. It was never diamonds or flashy cars; flowers and a card made her happy. Waterfalls and moonlit dinners; she'll love it. She loved it before.

Thinking of Sookie made the time pass. In practically no time at all, I pulled into the parking lot of the Sit and Spin. A vampire met me and led me inside. As soon as I entered, I felt Sookie. Before I have a chance to see if she is here, the vampire leads me to the table with the other vampires. As we walked through, I scan the crowd for her but I don't see her. I notice a blond and a brunette, deep in conversation, sitting alone but I can't see her face. But there is one thing for sure; I can't take my eyes off of the blond. It has to be her.

"Mr. Northman has arrived," the nameless vampire said to the others as we approached them.

They all stood to greet me. When I was seated, I asked the vampires to fill me on what is going on in their states. The Fellowship of the Sun had been dormant for quite awhile but they have decided to resurface. They were not doing it peacefully either. They decided to come out with a vengeance. They were not hiding their hatred for the vampires, Weres, and shifters. They have turned into radicals and killers. They have also taken to hurting the humans that are with the ones of the supernatural world but they blame it on us. The night's meeting is one that will change everything. We will see to it.

At one time, the governments of the world wanted to make some changes in the way supernaturals were handled in 'normal' society. They wanted us to register as non-citizens but we still had to pay taxes and follow the other laws that the 'real' citizens had to abide by. The FoTSs members devised this plan and the government considered going along with it. They'd gone so far as to draw up laws and contracts that they expected us to sign. They wanted us to list the gifts and talents that we have. We were expected to give them all of the information concerning our assets. We were expected to be grateful to be treated as less than citizens. That, we could not allow.

Normally, the vampires, Weres and shifters do not get along. For this, we had no choice. We stood as one. After much persuasion by the members of the supernatural world, the government officials saw the error of their ways. We tried talking to the humans as equals but to no avail. We had no choice but to move on from that notion. They are not our equals. They proved that by displaying their limited thinking abilities. Glamor was only used with the best intentions; in some cases. Needless to say, that FoTSs governmental plan never came to be.

Tonight, when the vampires began to speak of the FoTSs issues, their stories didn't differ. Each vampire talked about how the vampires in their areas were being nailed and silvered to trees and they were being made to meet the sun. The vampires were being drained and left in front of the known haunts of their fellow vampires or in front of the homes of their human lovers. Their humans were being slaughtered and they were trying to pin the acts of murder on those in our world. They were trying to make a point. They wanted us to be seen as the monsters that we are portrayed to be in the horror stories and movies. They want the nightmares to be true. They are going about it the wrong way. The points that they are trying to make will be the death of them.

From what Stan said, the Weres and shifters in his states were going through the same problems. "There will be no infiltration of the church this time. There will be no discussions. There will only be annihilation for those Godless humans. They speak of death coming for those that are already dead and their companions. It is their futures that they have predicted." Stan had been through this with the FoTSs members before and from the look in his dead eyes, there will be no mercy, no surrender. "We will not sit by and let them destroy what we have worked hard to maintain."

"If we go at them in the manner of which you speak, we will be seen as the monsters that they deem us to be." Rasul remained calm but his anger was present. He leaned forward, with his fists raised in defiance. "They have fucked with us for the last time. But if we are going to win this war, we have to be silent when we attack. Are any of your vampires missing?" Rasul asked me.

"None," I said. "None of the sheriffs have reported any missing vampires or human companions. Pam has been keeping close tabs and nothing has been reported. She's reported the killing of a couple of FoTSs members but there has been no decrease in our numbers. But Stan is right. We cannot sit back and let this happen. We will make ourselves walking targets if we do nothing. It starts with the Newlins. When the heads have been removed, the body will fall. Have they been located?" I asked.

Heads were shaking all around. No one has seen the man since the night he tried to kill Russell's second, Betty Jo. Obviously, he has been busy devising a plan.

Bart decided to chime in. "We have searched and they have been located. We have vampires and humans on them as we speak. The Weres and shifters are also keeping tabs." Bart looked at Russell and said, "Do you want to tell them of what we've come up with so far, my dearest love?" Bart raised Russell's hand to his lips and kissed it.

Russell laughed and talked in his familiar and lazy Mississippi drawl. "I remind you to remain discreet," he said. "I have a 'friend' that is part of the media and he is a 'sympathizer' of our kind. I devised a plan that will work in our favor to rid us of those pesky FoTSs members. There is also a human that we have on the payroll that works for the government; well a few humans and they have spies in the FoTSs churches. Spies here and there; you all know how that goes." With a flip of his hand, he continued. "They will be destroyed. We can drain a few if we wish but the best revenge will be their disgrace at the hands of the humans they are trying to protect."

"Is my husband not only handsome but smart as well?" Bart was so pleased with Russell that he leaned over and kissed him.

The rest of us looked on with no interest whatsoever. Before we could get the meeting back on track, a young African American woman approached the table. She is a very beautiful young lady. She is a curvaceous woman and she has a full, voluptuous bosom. Her jeans and t-shirt fit her body perfectly. She has the body of the women from my time. I assumed that she was here to see Rasul but I was in for a surprise. She is Stan's human. He did not appear to be the type of vampire that a human of this sort would be interested in. Stan was what Pam called geek chic; horn rimmed glasses, plain to look it, and not the snazziest dresser.

"Stanley," she said. "I am here."

"You're beautiful tonight. My eyes won't let go of you," Stan said to his human; fangs descended. "This is my human." He said that to no one in particular _but_ he said it to everyone.

Her smile widened. "I am pleased that you approve." She bowed to each vampire at the table and smiled. "I am Faith. I am Stan's. He is mine." Before she knew it, Stan had captured her mouth with his.

"Come Faith," Stan said. "We must ... talk."

Looking behind her, she said to Rasul, "Grace will be out in a few."

Rasul nodded as he watched Faith walk away. "Her sister; they are triplets," he said with a growl. "Hope is the other one. You can have her if you like, Northman. She belongs to no one. She's sweeter. She's been touched by no man or vampire."

I declined with a shake of my head. I leaned back in my chair and watched as Stan vanished with his companion. "He did not mind his human staking claim to him in our presence?"

They all had a surprised look on their faces. Rasul laughed and was the first to speak. "This is all due to you. When you married your human, you did this. Because of your stature in the vampire community, letting your human claim you in front of the most powerful vampires was what many of us have decided to do." I looked at Rasul with amusement. "We don't just bond to anyone, mind you. When we drink from our humans, as you know, we can feel their emotions. The one that we have found to be true is the only one that we claim as our own. We also give them the privilege of claiming us as their lovers and protectors. It is only allowed in front of others in these types of relationships. We have ways of letting our humans know when to they can claim what is theirs."

Glamor

"Why am I just hearing of this?"

Russell stopped kissing Bart long enough to answer. "Your grief, my darling; there is much that you do not know. Your grief has kept you preoccupied but we understood. She was a delightful creature." Russell patted my hand out with false pity. "Are you getting out? You need to find yourself a human, Eric. It's not natural for our kind to… grieve as you have done." Russell then looked at me with surprise. "You really loved her. You still love her."

They remembered her but how?

"I do."

The commotion on the dance floor interrupted the non-existent conversation that I was having with my fellow vampires. There were two women dancing and they were surrounded by men. The ladies were having a wonderful … Sookie! She was twirling around and smiling. A man had his hands on her! A growl built deep in my chest. The other vampires stood and went on the alert.

"Is that someone you are interested in?" Rasul asked.

"No; I have no human. I mistakenly sensed danger." The fucking witch, Amelia; it is her fault. I've never cared for her. I stared at the ladies as they danced and laughed. Sookie looked amazing and she was having fun but Amelia. I don't trust her. She knows that I am back in Sookie's life and she is trying to break us apart again. This time, I will not tolerate any interference; by anyone. I will not lose her again. Sookie belongs to me.

I realized in an instant what I'd done. I've brought attention to her. Quickly, I sit back down in order to get the focus off of Sookie. I couldn't risk them recognizing her. The fact that they can remember her is enough.

"Shall we talk a little more about the FoTSs? I will meet with the vampires in my area and let them know what needs to be done. We need to devise a plan and put it into action as soon as possible."

Before anyone could answer, there was another interruption and her name is Grace. Rasul pulled Grace onto his lap and nuzzled his human's neck. She giggled and threw her head back at the sexually explicit comment that she thought only she heard.

"After work, you bad vampire," she said seductively to him.

"She is mine," he said. Just as Stan claimed his human, Rasul did the same.

Grace whispered to Rasul how she wanted him to claim her when they got home. She wanted him to make her scream his name and she would make her beg for mercy. Her nibbling on his neck and lips did her no favors. He couldn't wait until after work.

"We will pick up with this meeting in a couple of hours." Rasul and Grace were gone in a flash. Russell and Bart disappeared just as fast.

I made sure that the others were gone before I met with my lover. A human man asked my wife to dance; my fangs descend in anger. When I saw her politely shake her head no, I know that she is mine. She is waiting for me. She began to walk away and she stopped instantly.

"Eric," she said.

How did she know that I was behind her? She hadn't seen me. She turned around and a look of love glossed over her eyes.

"Eric," she said as she touched my face. She looked at me the same way she did many years ago. She loves me again. "I've missed you."

I reached into her pocket and retrieved the phone number that the guy from earlier gave her. "You won't need this."

"I won't," she confirmed.

I asked her dance with me.

"I would love nothing more."

I don't recall when the song ended but I know that was the very instant I fell in love with her all over again. Twice in a row I've fallen in love with her. I promise myself from this night forward, I will fall in love with her all over again every night for the rest of our existence. She stood, fitting her body to mine and wrapping her arms around my neck, as close to me as she could. She loves me.

I wanted to kiss her but before I could, Amelia approached us. I hate that fucking witch. She has never cared for me and Sookie being together. I can't let Sookie see the distaste that I have for her friend. I will do my best to fake it. I can see that their friendship is stronger than before. I will be a good vampire. I know that I could fake it. I can do anything.

When Sookie looked at me, she could see the distaste that I have for her friend. When Amelia spoke, all I heard is blah, blah, blah, and more blah. How Sookie can stand Amelia's mindless blathering will always be a mystery to me. Out of all that she said, I only heard her say that she'd take Sookie home.

"She will be fine. I will make sure that she is safe." She needs no other as long as she has me.

"Thanks big fella," Amelia said as she punched my arm. Amelia went on to tell Sookie how tired she was and that she had to leave early for work … blah, blah, blah is all that I heard. I was only too happy when she left.

"Thank you so much for the flowers and the pass to Fangtasia. I hope that you don't regret giving it to me when you see unexpectedly."

"Never," I said.

How can she possibly believe that I would ever tire of her? I placed my hand on the small of her back and guided her to the table that she'd occupied once before. I took her hand into my own.

"I could not stop thinking of you last night. I wanted to let you know. I had to let you know." I put my lips to her hand and I can feel her desire for me. I can smell her need to be with me. I know that she loves me.

What is this? Sookie had gotten up from her seat and was now sitting in my lap! The old Sookie would never have done that. She was staking her claim to me! She leaned in and kissed me. It was so surprising that I didn't have time to close my eyes but I made sure to return her soft kisses.

When she opened her eyes and looked at me, I couldn't hide the shocked look on my face. She looked at me as if she is a wide eyed innocent. "Why did you do that?"

"I've wanted to since I've met you."

"You are so beautiful."

She began to giggle. She placed her hand against my chest and rotated her fingers in a circular motion. "I'll bet you say that to all of the girls."

"Never," I said as I brushed my lips across hers.

My lips lingered along her face. I kept my fangs down because I wanted to know her reaction when I nibbled her earlobe. She didn't flinch; she only quivered at my touch. She is mine again. I kiss and nibble my way down her neck. When I return back to her face, her expression matches my own; every passion known to vampire and woman passed between us.

"How did you know that I was here?" She kept her hands on my face and kissed my eyelids, nose and lips with the tenderest of kisses.

"I was sitting over there," I pointed to the dark corner where we had once congregated. "I saw you dancing. I wanted to see you before you left for the night. Our meeting is taking longer than expected and I wanted to spend some time with you before I have to return." She had the look that I had seen many times before; work before Sookie. Her eyes were no longer on my face. She gave a heavy sigh.

"You have to go?"

I have always hated it when she would get that look on her face. My wife understood my responsibilities but my girlfriend does not.

"I don't want to. There is vampire business that I have to take care of." I wanted to tell her what was going on but my wife would feel obligated to help. I'd put her in the middle of vampire affairs in the past but I will not allow it this time. I don't want her to regret our relationship. In the past, she'd told me that she never had regrets before but I could feel them from time to time. "I will spend all of tomorrow night with you." I kissed her forehead and hoped that she understood. "I promise."

Before I knew it, she'd left my lap. She snatched her purse from its resting place and placed it on her shoulder. She closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself. "I understand. You have work that you have to do. You didn't have to tell Amelia that you'd take me home. I can get a cab. We have tomorrow night to spend together. That's supposed to be our real date anyway."

At vampire speed I was standing before her. "Don't be upset, my lover. If I did not have to be at the meeting, I would stay with you all night." Her eyes softened as she let me pull her into my grasp. We moved slowly to the song that was playing only for us.

I lifted her lips to mine and I kissed her. The slightest touch of her hand or the softness of her lips has destroyed me for any other all over again. She must feel the same because she said, "What have you done to me?"

"I am a charmer."

"Yes you are."

"Come, my lover, let me take you home."

When we reached the car, I held the door open for her and waited for her to buckle herself in. Her husband didn't do that until later on. He just assumed that she should just trust his driving and not worry about such contraptions as a seat belt. Her boyfriend will start out being the gentleman that she seeks. This is my chance to show her that I am the vampire that she has always wanted and loved. To prove that, I did the unthinkable; I drove the speed limit. Pam would be appalled. Sookie is pleased. The latter is what matters.

As I drove her home, I asked her about her day and she talked nonstop about her children and how the people in the office reacted to her today. She told me about Amelia's new client. This was what we should be doing now; minus the five years missing from our lives.

"I know that your night has just begun, but how has it been so far?" she asked me.

"Wonderful." I held her hand in mine. "It has been absolutely wonderful."

Suddenly sadness swept through me as we parked in front of her house. When I went to the passenger side of the car to open her door, she hesitated when she had to get out. I offered her my hand and she gripped it tightly. We walked hand in hand to her front door as lovers do. I wished that we could have gotten lost for just a little while. I didn't want to go.

She unlocked the front door and then turned to face me. "I'm glad that I got to see you tonight."

"You couldn't wait to see me?"

"You were the one that couldn't wait; lurking in corners, stalking me, watching me. You want me."

"I do." When I said that, I could once again smell the sweetness that is Sookie; the sweetness that I have longed for. She wants me just as much as I want her. To taste her would be bliss.

"You made my day the absolute best. When you showed up at the restaurant, I just knew that it couldn't get any better."

"It is always a joy to see you smile." She looked at me as if she wanted to ask me something. All she had to do was ask and I would give it to her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," I said to her. "You need only ask it of me."

When I said that, she had a look of surprise or maybe it is recollection. Does she remember that I said that to her the night that I proposed? She remembers. She just doesn't know it.

"Twice tonight you've called me 'lover'. Why?"

"Because you will be my lover; you will be mine and I will be yours."

Her heartbeat quickened and her pulse raced at the revelation. "How do you know?"

"Because I know what I want and I want you." I let her see the lust and love in my eyes as I moved closer to her. I want her to know that there was no other before her. There was no one after her. It has always only been Sookie. "You will be my lover." I left not doubts in her mind and she knew that it was true.

I traced my fingers along her face and I lovingly kissed her. It was the most delicate kiss. I pulled from her soft, warm lips and she said, "Heaven."

She rested the top of her beautiful blond head against my chest and gripped the sides of my shirt. "Will you come back; if it's not too late? You don't have to. I mean, it's okay if you don't. I was just wondering."

"It will be pretty late when I am done. I don't want to interfere with your rest. Do you not have to work tomorrow?"

She didn't answer me. She only shook her head no. My lover was crying. What had I done to make her cry?

"Why can I feel you?"

I knew it! We are still one. We are one!

"What have you done to me? I don't want you to go."

More than anything, I want to stay.

"Sookie," I groaned.

Before I could stop her, she had her hand on the doorknob. With her back to me, she said, "I don't think that you should come back tonight. I may not let you leave." With that said she went into the house and closed the door. I heard her body lean against the door. She is crying.

I have had centuries of practice when it comes to willpower but tonight it almost fails me. I rested my hand against the door and said, "Good night, Sookie."

With much hesitation and a heavy heart, I leave my wife behind. I turn on the radio and a song that was suitable to my mood is playing; 'I Wish I Was the Moon Tonight'. That song was playing another time when I was thinking of Sookie; when I was grieving for her.

As I drove back to the meeting, I called Niall once more. This time I got an answering machine and I left him a message. "Call me. I have questions that you must answer. You are obligated to let us know what is happening. You have my number and you know where I am."

When I returned to my colleagues, I listened to what they had to say and what they wanted to do. I went along with every plan and I agreed that we needed to take action as soon as possible. Rasul decided that each of us needed to contact the Weres and shifters in our areas since it is affecting us all. I would have Pam alert each pack leader in my area of the pending battle. More was discussed but I was not fully listening to them. My mind was elsewhere. I was filled with sadness and loneliness. I had to see her. She needed me.

Once the meeting was over, we agreed to meet again the following week; same night. Rasul said to me before he took his leave, "You have agreed to call Oklahoma. The call must be made in two night's time. We have to get each monarch on board in order for our plan to succeed."

"Oklahoma will be informed." I bowed to him after I make my vow.

He bowed to me and blurred from my sight.

Before going home, I made a detour to see my lover. I flew to her bedroom window and she was in a fitful sleep. To see if she could truly feel me, I sent her my love and happiness. Everything that she has given to me in these two days, I sent back to her.

As I watched her intently, she calmed down. A smile spread across her beautiful face. She is mine. Forever; she is mine.

Before I flying back to my car, I hear the softest whisper. "I love you Eric."

With my hand on the window, I said, "Forever, my love."


	11. Chapter 11

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 11**

**Flashback: # 3 Moving Out and Moving On**

**In chapter 10, Sookie has gone to bed for the night knowing that Eric loves her and Eric is going to rest up for their big night. He can rest happily; he knows that she loves him and that the bond is still in place. So, I've decided that chapters 11 and 12 will be flashbacks of how our star-crossed lovers will get to where they are.**

**The fact that you have taken the time to read and review means a lot to me. I can't thank you enough. I hope that you enjoy.**

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><p>Before going out to run my errands for the day, I left Eric a note letting him know that I would be in Bon Temps packing my things and that I'd be home as soon as I was done.<p>

Home

That one word gave me butterflies. We'd been in our home for a couple of weeks now and I am the happiest I've ever been. I even felt great as I drove back to Bon Temps. For the first time in a long time, the drive to Bon Temps was relaxing. It hasn't been relaxing since Gran died. I never knew what to expect when I would go home.

I never knew if I had to kill someone or if someone was there to kill me. Was there going to be another dead body in my house or buried in my backyard? Would there be homicidal fairies waiting on me? Making the decision to be with Eric was the most rational decision that I've ever made. No more Bon Temps and killers or any of that nonsense. That life was just too stressful but no more. I think that my good mood stems from the fact that I made a decision about my life based on how I feel and what I want. I made a decision that is based on my happiness.

When I reached the farmhouse, I parked out back; just as I'd always done and decided to just sit in my car. What went through my mind as I looked at the house is that almost two months ago, I decided to leave Bon Temps and to quit my job and not just my job. I've decided to quit everything that used to be a part of who I was. This is the house that started it all.

I looked at the clothes line that Gran so dearly loved. There was nothing better than letting the summer sun dry your clothes; sage words from the mouth of Adele Hale Stackhouse. So what if they were stiff. It was free and it was an excuse to be outside. Gran was cheap and she loved to be outside.

I used to say, "Gran, the clothes stink a little when they are dried outside. Why don't you let me buy some dryer sheets? What's the point of having a dryer if we hardly ever use it?"

Gran would put her hands on her small hips and say, **"**It was cheaper to buy the washer and dryer as a set. And dryer sheets; Sookie those things are just a fad. We don't need dryer sheets. The Louisiana summer sun and wind works just fine."

I thought of that and laughed. May God rest her soul, she was a cheapskate. The idea of a higher light bill was the real reason for not using dryer. She was the queen of the cheapskates. She could squeeze a nickel 'til the buffalo pooped. I laughed even harder when I thought of her. I am just like her. It must be hereditary.

I then focused on Gran's prized flowers. She planted them all around the front and back porches. She worked on her flowers every day. Her rose garden was her favorite. She couldn't wait to get out here and weed. I can see her now; out here on her hands and knees. A streak of planting soil would be running across her face. She would be sweating and smiling all at the same time.

These are the wonderful memories that I will carry with me forever. I wanted memories of my own; memories of me hanging clothes on a line in the summertime even if they are stiff. I want to plant my own flowers and watch them grow; even if it will be at night. It's time for me to make new memories with my own family and in our home.

"There's no turning back, Gran." As I got out of the car and walked towards the house, I smiled. I don't think I'd turn back now if I wanted to.

As I leapt up the stairs and through the backdoor, I saw my great-uncle Dermot. He had the radio on full blast and Gloria Gaynor was singing, 'I Will Survive'. He was painting the walls of his kitchen and dancing his little fairy heart out. I had to chuckle as I thought that he is painting his kitchen.

Before I'd ever thought to sell the house, he would always say that he loves this old house. He said that this house'is filled with family love'. He may not have grown up here but I knew that he would take great care of this home. That's why he was the first one I thought of when it came to selling. Hopefully, he'll be able to start his own memories here with his own family. This was the perfect home for it. But before I could sell it Dermot, there was one thing that I had to do.

Even though the house is mine, I had to talk it over with Jason.

* * *

><p>When I made the decision to be with Eric, the most logical thing for me to do was to sell. His business dealings are in Shreveport. I knew that I was not going to keep working at Merlotte's. If I expected Eric to make changes in his life to suit me then I could very well do the same for him.<p>

I went to see Jason and I asked him if he wanted the house. I knew that he loved it there just as much as I did and I didn't want to not give Jason a chance to have it if he wanted it. Stackhouses first; I offered, he declined.

"Nah, Sook, I'm happy here. I done fixed this house up the way that I like it. Michele has moved in and she ain't gon' want to pack all her shit no more. And she has a lot of shit. Ain't got anywhere to put half of it," he said as he frowned at the clutter in his living room.

Jason looked around and scratched his head. There is a lot of extra stuff in the house. I didn't notice it until he mentioned it. Box after box; I could hardly see the walls for the boxes.

"Thank you for asking me, though. Do you have a buyer lined up?" Jason asked me.

I didn't know how Jason was going to react when I told him who it was. Dermot tried redeeming himself by warning Jason that his life was in danger. He warned Jason about his friend Mel. Mel was a were-panther from the little out of the way town called Hot Shot. Mel was a full-blooded were-panther and that meant that he would have to sleep with the women to keep the bloodline strong. He couldn't do that. Mel was gay. He would have been accepted by his kin but the idea of sleeping with the women of the pack was not an idea that he could go along with. So, he left.

Anyway, Mel was in love with Jason. He killed his cousin, Crystal; his jealousy made him kill her. Dermot saw the whole thing. He told Jason in a round-a-bout way that Mel was the one that killed Crystal. Faeries never come right out and tell you anything. They like to play the guessing game. Dermot tried to save Jason from Mel as best he could. Niall said that Dermot only did it because he and Jason resemble each other. I think that he did it in order to redeem himself. And as far as I'm concerned, that was exactly what he did when he tried to save my brother's life. I have no problems with him.

"I'm going to sell it to Uncle Dermot."

"He's the one that killed mama and daddy right?" Jason looked at me with one eye cocked towards the ceiling and the other at me.

"Yeah, but he didn't know any better. He was confused. Somebody used magic on him. They made him do it."

I hoped that Jason would understand and give Dermot a chance. When I tried explaining this same thing to Niall, he didn't want to hear it. He was a lot more difficult than Jason. He was just being stubborn. Dermot is not a bad person. He just didn't understand that he shouldn't have been ashamed of being half human and half fae. He can't help what he is. He just couldn't accept it.

That made me laugh a little; especially when I'm ashamed of what I can do. I am the one that wanted to use the cluviel dor to wish my telepathy away. Hmmm; I guess I'm not as smart as I think I am. I have a little more thinking that I need to do.

"Who put the spell on him… _your_ great-grandpa?" Jason asked with a sneer.

Needless to say, he and Niall will never be friends. Niall doesn't want to deal with Jason because he doesn't have the essential spark. If you have nothing that 'shines' about you, Niall has no use for you. I can fully understand Jason's feelings.

"No. I don't think he did it but it doesn't matter to Niall," I said. "And he's not a bad person Jason. Just give him a chance."

Jason had a thoughtful look on his face. "I can see that. I know that you wouldn't let him live with you if you didn't trust him." He nodded as if he was reassuring himself. He went to the kitchen to get himself a beer. "Want one?"

I shook my head no.

My brother continued talking. "You know what you're doing, Sook. I trust ya. Plus, he's family. We do for family." Shamefully, he added, "I'm sorry that it took me too long to see that. I should've been there for you."

That threw me for a loop. "Thanks Jason. I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me a in a long time. Sometimes we all need a moment of clarity."

"No thanks. My allergies are good."

I laughed. I didn't say Claritin. No point in explaining to him; he wouldn't get it anyway.

"Anyway, you're a smart girl, Sook."

Just as he said that, Michele walked in.

"Hey baby," she said as he went to the door to greet her.

He planted a kiss on her cheek. Even after all that Jason has been through, he still believes in love. The death of Crystal and his 'maybe' baby did not hold him back. He knows that life has its ups and downs but as he says, 'gotta keep on truckin' and he does. I think that I was jealous of that about him. After Bill, I didn't trust anyone. I always believed that I was destined to be alone. I always believed that I would have to settle for less than what I deserve. I looked down at my hands and realized that I was willing to settle just to be normal …in order to be like everyone else.

"Hey Sookie; how's it goin'?" Michele asked after she returned Jason's kiss.

"Good," I answered. "Things are going real good."

"Guess what?" he asked. "Sook's movin'. She sold the farmhouse."

Michele looked surprised. "Well hot damn. It's about time. I been telling Jason that you need to get out from them woods; all out there by yourself. You're too young to be out there all alone. Any maniac can come for you (_she has no idea_). With our police force, you'd be dead 'fore they found ya. That fucking Bud Dearborn is a shit on wheels. He needs to go on and retire. I'm happy for you."

I knew that she was sincere. The colors in her mind told me so.

"It gets lonely out there and it is time for me to move on."

She came over and patted me on my back. "Good for you. You gon' be with that big, sexy vampire of yours? You ought to. Hell you could do a helluva lot worse, I tell ya what. Some of them ain't worth shit. Heed my warning, Sook. Two words; my ex," she said as she winked down at me. "He was worthless then and he's worse today. Sorry bastard."

Michele has never been one for holding back. Her motto has always been 'Tell the truth; shame the devil'. She heard that in Sunday school and she has lived by that motto ever since.

"I am and we are getting married." I left out that pesky mess with Oklahoma and Felipe. No need to dwell on that.

Michele bent down and gave me a big bear hug. "I'm happy for you. You deserve it."

I looked at Jason to see if he felt the same way as Michele. "What do you think Jason?" I asked.

"Yeah, Jason, what do you think?" Michele asked him as she stood by me with her hand on my shoulder. There was no guessing whose side she's on. Plus the tone that she said it in said he'd better be thinking the same as she was or she'd deal with him later. She has very low tolerance for ignorance. She has accepted Jason as a bitten were-panther and by her logic, he will accept others as they are.

"I only want you to be happy, Sookie … and safe. That's all I want for you." I believed him. After all he's been through, I believe him.

"I am happy, Jason. Eric makes me very happy and has always done everything in his power to keep me safe. I love him and he loves me."

"This is what you want?"

"This is what I want."

"Then do you, Sook. I want you happy."

Michele walked over to Jason and threw her arms around his neck. "Good boy. I'm proud of you." He looked at her and smiled. She kissed him on the lips and hugged him tighter.

That was my queue to leave.

"Well, I will be going and Michele, I will let you know when the big day is." They each hugged and kissed my cheek as I stood up to leave.

"Congratulations, Sookie," Jason said. "I mean it."

"Yeah, I know." We looked at each other; silently acknowledging that we have entered a new plateau in our relationship. My brother was almost a little more than my brother.

I reached into my purse and handed Jason and Michele an envelope. "This is for you. You can't open it until I am gone. Don't call me about it or mention it to me. I want you to have this."

It was $22,000.00 of the money that Claudine willed to me. They'll need it. I heard in Michele's mind that she is pregnant. She was going to surprise my brother with the new baby news over a candlelit dinner. Eric and I discussed finances last night and this seemed to be a great idea. I had no idea that she was pregnant when I decided to give them the money but it worked out for the best. You do for family.

Michele took the envelope and looked at it. They then looked at each other and then at me. At the same time, they said, "Thank you."

We said our good-byes and hugged one last time before the door I left. As I walked to my car, I looked around the yard of Jason's home and I smiled. Pretty soon, this house would once again have the sound of children running around the yard. The house will be filled with laughter. They'll take family pictures by the pond or maybe they'll do something entirely different. I can see Jason sitting out back with his son as they fish from the bank of the pond. I see him teaching his baby girl to fly a kite or either having a tea party on the deck that he and Hoyt built. The dream of my brother's happy family added an extra skip to my step.

Once I was in my car, I heard Michele screaming. Jason came running outside just as I was driving out of his driveway. I blew the horn, threw my hand out of the window, and drove away. My cell phone started to ring; Jason. He has never been too good at listening.

I left with a smile on my face. My brother is finally happy for me. I have given him something that will help him out with his new family. My day couldn't have gotten any better. Since I knew for sure what I was going to do with the farmhouse, I knew that I was going to give Sam my notice. I didn't know when I was going to tell him or how he was going to take it. My life is changing and I need to move on. He would just have to deal.

* * *

><p>When I went back home to tell Dermot the news, he was delighted. Dermot just couldn't comprehend why Jason didn't want this old house. I tried to explain to Dermot as simple as I could. Jason has his own family and he wants to make his own memories too. Even if he didn't understand the reasons behind Jason not wanting want the house, he was happy just the same.<p>

What made me happiest is that he now had a place to call his own.

And here I am today, watching him paint his kitchen and dance like a maniac that had no rhythm. "Hey," I called out. "Do you need any help?"

Uncle Dermot looked at me and smiled. My uncle is very handsome. Not only because he looked just like Jason or because all Stackhouse men are handsome, but because he's 700 years old, has not one wrinkle on his face or a gray hair in sight. He doesn't move like any 700 year old I've ever seen …not that I've seen any. I guess he wouldn't move as a 700 year old human would; considering he's a faery and humans don't live to be 700 years old.

He has a heart of gold. It was easy for me to forgive him for killing my parents because he was spelled and lied to. His mind was weak. His spirit was broken. Dermot was ashamed of himself. Brendan was the one that told Dermot the lies. He told Dermot that Niall killed Fintan, Dermot's brother, when it was Brendan that had my true grandfather murdered. Dermot was so distraught that he killed is fae/human kin. He killed my parents. Brendan then sent Fintan's assassins after me.

"No, my dearest niece; I need no help. I am enjoying doing this on my own. With the money that you have loaned me, I have been able to get the things that I need," he said as he walked over to give me a hug. "I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me. Until you, I never belonged anywhere." After he released me from his hug, he stood with one arm draped over my shoulder. "So, what do you think?"

"I've never seen it look better than it does right now."

His face beamed with pride. It's the same color that it was before but his touch is what made it perfect. The pride that filled my uncle's eyes was priceless. "If anyone can take care of this house, I know that it's you."

"A home of my own," he said. "I finally have a home of my own." He clapped his hands in front of himself and in doing so, his chin was a pale yellow.

I patted him on the back and said, "Well, since you are painting and you don't need my help, I will go to my room and start packing my stuff." I kissed his face before I left the kitchen.

"Sookie?" he called behind me.

"Yeah?" I said. When I turned to look at him, his posture had changed.

"Why are you moving out?"

I didn't notice the love on his face at first. That's the same look he had on his face the first time that we'd met. It didn't hit me until just now because I was afraid of him. He's always loved me.

"You can live here with me. We are family. We need family, right?"

He didn't want me to go. The forced smile on his face reminded me of my own. I knew how he felt and I didn't want to live like that anymore.

There were mornings that I'd wake up alone and I hated it. Even with Eric or either Bill in the hidey hole, I was alone. All of my bad mornings took place after Gran died. I always had her to talk with and we kept each other company. The afternoons were the worst. Coming home to an empty house was painful. No one to tell me to have a goodnight or don't work too hard. No one would be waiting up for me when I got off of work; asking how my night was. The silence was excruciating. At times it would be deafening. No sounds in the house other than my own breathing and the creaking of the floor boards when I would take a step. The nights would be filled with the outside noises of the owls, crickets, and other nighttime creatures. I know how he feels. It breaks my heart to see him like this but it is time for me to move out and move on.

"Oh, Dermot, I'm sorry. But if I stay here, I'll always be here. I have to go. It's my time now."

"But you can stay here." His eyes were wide as if he had just stumbled upon a solution to an unsolvable problem. "You can keep your old room. I would never uproot you from what you are used to. I will stay upstairs. I won't bother you at all. We can eat our meals together." He was smiling even broader than he was before. His eyes were glistening with un-fallen tears.

I hugged him. "I love you." I stepped back and looked at him. "We'll always be family. We don't have to live together for that. I'll visit you every chance that I get. I'll come over and cook us meals. We can watch movies together on the nights that Eric has vampire business. You can even come to my house … never mind; faery scent."

He nodded in agreement.

"I'll visit you whenever I can, I promise, but I have to be with Eric. I want to be with him."

The un-fallen tears decided to make their escape. "Can I help you pack? Only because I want to be with you; I enjoy your company."

I tipped my pretend hat to my uncle and said, "I would have it no other way."

Dermot and I went to my old room and began packing the twenty plus years of my life away in cardboard boxes. There are pictures, books, keepsakes, shoes, clothes; happy times and sad ones, good times and bad ones. I didn't realize that there were so many memories until I started sharing a lot of our family memories with Dermot. I even let him keep a couple of the pictures for the mantle over his fireplace. One was of me and Jason when we were kids. We were eating strawberries and smiling at each other. The other picture was of Grandpa Earl and Gran; well Fintan looked like Grandpa Earl but Dermot knew tell that it was his brother.

For the next four hours, we packed and talked. We had lunch and we talked some more over peach tea and chicken salad sandwiches. Dermot heard every story that I could remember. He enjoyed each one.

After lunch we finished what we'd set out to do. Dermot was taping up the last of the boxes and I dumped the contents from my junk drawer into an overnight bag. The last thing to fall in was the cluviel dor. I had forgotten all about it. I looked at it as it rested on the top of my costume jewelry. The creamy green texture and the glow made it stand out from everything else. The cluviel dor; anything that I could wish for, it can give it to me. I looked at it, laughed and zipped the bag. I won't need it after all. Everything has worked out for the best and everything will be fine.

Eric and I have proven that we can beat the odds. We have fought long and hard to stay together without the use of magic and we will do it again. Wishes and dreams have no place in my life anymore. I have all that I want. I have everything that I need. I threw the bag over my shoulder and looked around the now empty room. "Well, Dermot, I'm packed and ready to go. Let's load this stuff in the car."

We put the things I'm carrying in the car and the other boxes would be picked up by the Salvation Army. Dermot is keeping all of the furnishings and appliances. There won't be enough room for that stuff at our home in Shreveport plus it would help Dermot out. He can't afford to buy all new things. He has no income.

We went back to my old room and looked around. There was no sign of me anywhere; no picture, no shoe, not a sliver of paper. There was no trace of me anywhere.

"We're done." Dermot threw his hands up and they fell leisurely at his side.

Now it was time for payment. "Do you have what you owe me?"

"Yes," he said as he ran upstairs.

While he was gone, I went into the living room. I looked around and I was hit with a plethora of memories. Our Christmases in that room, sitting around the fireplace and telling ghost stories on Halloween, playing hide-n-go seek, the first time Gran met Bill, sharing with and loving Eric in front of the fireplace, the killings that have taken place here; no matter what the memory, it is mine.

I then went into the kitchen. I laughed when I thought of Gran sitting on her stool gossiping on the phone with Maxine Fortenberry and the other old biddies in Bon Temps. She, Jason and I would be sitting at the table eating lunch and catching up. That means that we were gossiping but catching up sounds so much better. The baking, laughing and the talking; all took place in this room; Gran's murder. This house knows every story, every memory, and every wound. Our whole life was in this house. It had finally hit me and it hit me hard.

Tears fell from my eyes and a sob escaped my throat. "I'm leaving." I said it out loud so that I know that it is true. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes when Dermot came running down the stairs.

He knew that I was crying but he said nothing. He let me have this time and I couldn't have been more grateful. "This is for you, niece. It took a lot of persuading to get Niall to do this but because it was for you, he couldn't and wouldn't say no. He was nice to me, Sookie. Thank you. If it weren't for you, he never would have spoken to me." He handed me the manila envelope.

"He can't stay angry forever. We all make mistakes. You shouldn't have to pay for them forever." Holding the manila envelope up, I said to my uncle, "This means more to me than you'll ever know." I grabbed my purse from the kitchen table and took from it the deed to the house. "This is for you. This is the deed to your home."

Dermot took the deed and the look on his face matches that of a pig in slop on the hottest day of summer. "After 700 years, I'm a homeowner."

I filled the room with laughter. No matter how many times he says it, it gets funnier every time. 700 years to become a home owner; it is priceless. "Are you hungry? I know the chicken salad was not enough. I'll take you out to dinner; my treat?"

If I didn't know any better, I would say that Dermot was blushing. "I'd love to but I have a date."

"You sly devil! And you asked me to move back in. Who is she? Where did you meet her?" I was so excited for him. He needed to have a companion. I want him to be happy and if he has someone to spend some time with, he won't have time to be lonely.

"Well, she's a very nice lady."

I looked at my watch. I wanted to know all about her but I couldn't find out tonight. It's almost first dark and I want to get home to Eric. "Who is she?" I asked.

Dermot continued speaking about his date. "She will be coming over tonight to cook me dinner. She spoke highly of you. She said that you saved her from some bad witches." Dermot was smiling and was proud. "She is a good person."

I saved her? This is news to me. "What's her name?"

"I call her Belle. She is absolutely beautiful."

"Do you remember her real name?"

"Since the first day I met her I've called her Belle. It means beauty. She likes it when I call her Belle." He blushed once again.

"Uncle, are you in love?"

He went into a fit of giggles. It sounded as if there were three teenage girls here with us. His hands were clasped together as if he was about to pray. He didn't answer. He didn't have to.

"Congratulations. See, I told you that you wouldn't be alone. Walk me to my car?"

Dermot walked me to my car and thanked me profusely once again for making him a homeowner. "You don't know what this means to me."

"You're family. We do for family. And before I go, there is something else that I want to give you." I reached into my dashboard and removed a little white book. "This is for you."

He looked like a child on Christmas morning. When he opened the book and saw what it was, he let it fall from his hands. I had that same reaction when someone gave me something like this as a gift.

"I cannot accept this."

"You can and you will," I said as I bent down to pick up the book. I shoved it in his hand and held it. "This is for you."

"You love me?"

"Yes, I love you." After I talked it over with Eric and he said that it would be fine, I gave Dermot the last of the money that Claudine left for me; $18,000.00. "You have no job yet and no income. Since this is your first home, there are bills that you will have to pay every month. You need this if you want to remain a homeowner with lights, running water, and a phone. You like having DirecTV don't you?"

He nodded as tears fell from his eyes. "What about you?"

"I have a husband. He will provide for me. I know that he will let me work at Fangtasia (_he won't_). He'll never let me go without. Eric and I have each other. You can't do this alone. Let me do this for you."

Dermot squeezed me so hard that I felt as if he was a part of me; I mean a real part of me. I felt warm and tingly all over. I felt love and warmth and it flowed through me. I looked at him with wide eyes and asked, "What did you do to me?"

His smile was the only answer that I was going to get. "I hope that your every happiness comes true. You deserve nothing less." He looked into my eyes and said, "I've never been loved in all of my 700 years as you have loved me."

After one last squeeze, we chatted a little while longer. My expression was a frozen smile because I know that when I back out of this driveway, this is no longer my home. "Well Dermot, I'd better get going. Eric will be rising in the next half hour and he'll be pacing back and forth if I'm not home by first dark."

We kiss our good-byes and say I love you to each other as I get into my car to leave. Dermot waved to me as I backed out of the driveway.

Once I was out of sight, I cried. The frozen smile was gone and my true feelings took over. They weren't tears of fear or regret. I am finally going to live my life. Jason is happy for me. Niall gave me a gift without asking for anything in return. Dermot is happy. Eric and I have been living together for a couple weeks and it's been wonderful; absolutely wonderful. We were so happy. AND we are going to be legally married; by human laws.

For a long time I haven't felt like I deserve to live but I do and I want to. I want to live. I don't want to live alone on a back road in a big empty house. I won't do it alone any longer. I'm going to be with Eric; always, always, always.

I want to live.

I want to live!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Flashback: #4 Sandy Sechrest and the King's Punishment**

**In this chapter, we have our old Sookie back. The one with the big mouth; the one that says whatever she feels; the one that doesn't think about what she has said until after she has said it. She is strong and she isn't going to take any shit off of anyone; least of all Sandy Sechrest.**

**We don't really know a lot about this character but I'm going to give her my own little spin. The short, round vampire has met her match when it comes to the war of the words.**

**Enjoy and have fun! I am having a ball and it's all because of you guys!**

* * *

><p>The call that we have been waiting for has just been received. Sandy Sechrest is on her way to relay the king's decision. Felipe still hasn't said for sure what punishment awaits me. He has stated what he believes to be the most suitable punishment for my betrayals. That punishment is final death. What's important is that I can't let Sookie walk into this situation blind. No matter how much I want to protect her, I can't protect her from this. We are bonded again and if I meet my final death, it affects us both; especially her.<p>

I can recall another time when was I happy with her; when I'd lost my memories. Those were the happiest and most carefree nights of my existence. I remember that there was a time when I wanted to end her just to get her off of my mind. She was my every thought, my every concern. Though I want to protect her, I have to tell her the truth. The decision has been made. She needs to be prepared. So, I call my wife.

"I am here," she said. Her music was playing loudly in the background.

"Yes you are. Lover, can you meet me at Fangtasia when your errands are done?"

"Yeah, I can be there in a few. I meant to be home before you left. I didn't plan on staying out as long as I have but I stopped at Wal-mart and bought a few magazines for me and Pam. Since I've had time, I mean, we've had time to think about what we want for our wedding, I knew what I wanted to get. This has been the best two weeks, ya know? Oh, I wonder if she'll like doing it; planning the wedding. Anyway, I was going to go home and unpack my things but I can come on now. I can leave them in the car until we go home."

"You're talking too much, lover." She rambles when she's excited. I hear excitement and relaxation in Sookie's voice. I could feel her anticipation of coming home to me.

"Okay; whatcha got?" she asked. "There's something that you want to say."

"I have two things to tell you. The first thing is that we have a surprise visitor coming tonight; Sandy Sechrest. She will be here to hand down the king's punishment."

Silence

"Well, we knew that Felipe was going to come sooner or later, right?" she finally asked. "We knew that something was going to happen when we killed Victor. It'll be okay. We'll stand together. You didn't kill Victor; _we_ killed Victor. As soon as I get my things home, I'll be right there."

Her calmness is refreshing to me. She didn't show an ounce of fear even though she is filled with it. I have no doubts that she will stand with me. She always stands with those that she loves.

"If you need assistance, I can send Indira to help you unpack."

"Uh-uh; I got it. I can be there in fifteen minutes if you want. We can unpack my things when we get home."

That was music to my ears. We and home; we have a home together. "No, lover; we will begin upon your arrival. The second thing that I have to tell you is that ..."

"Can you tell me when I get there? I can't talk long; didn't charge my phone last night. It won't be long," she said. "I love you."

The phone went dead.

After I finished speaking with Sookie, I alerted the other vampires to Sandy's impending visit. "Maxwell, call each vampire, Were, shifter, and human that was here the night of Victor's downfall. Let them know that they have to be here within the next hour." There were fourteen of us that were here that night. Three of the vampires have already arrived.

Maxwell Lee bowed and started calling before he walked away.

"Pam, have you closed Fangtasia for the night?"

Pam nodded. "I have updated the website and put signs at the end of both entrances and the doors."

She was cheerful tonight because she did not have to wear her Fangtasia garb. As she walked away, I realized that what Sookie said about Pam is true. When she is not wearing her work clothes, she does look like a human mom; pink track suit and tightly pulled back ponytail with a white ribbon, pink and white tennis shoes. Looking at her now, even I wouldn't believe that she is a vicious killer.

I brought my focus back to the tasks at hand. "Indira, Palomino; I need for you to line fourteen chairs in front of the throne."

"Yes sheriff," they said. Within thirty seconds the job was done. "Anything else sheriff?" they asked in unison.

"Call me when Sandy arrives."

"Yes, sheriff."

When I went to my office, Pam followed. She closed the door behind her. I knew what she was going to say before she said it. "Mustapha and Warren are here." She sat on the couch and said, "You and Sookie have finally reformed the bond. I can feel her. She is very happy. So are you." It was more of a statement than a question. "I hope that you stay that way."

"Your point is?" I asked her.

"You two have been living together in 'wedded bliss' for awhile now. When are you going to tell her that Felipe has proposed final death for you? She deserves to know what may come to be."

I know that she has become attached to Sookie but Pam is putting her relationship with Sookie before her relationship with me. She doesn't seem to understand that Sookie is mine and not hers. I never expected the two women to be as close as they are but Pam is very protective of Sookie. We have fought when it comes to Sookie. In a sneaky way, Pam made me tell Sookie about my impending marriage to Freyda. That was not a good night.

"She knows of Sandy's visit. She will be fine."

Pam looked at me; no expression was on her face. "I know that you are only trying to protect her. We will all do what we can to protect her but keeping things from her is not beneficial. Does she understand what this punishment can mean for you as her husband and she as your wife? With the bond in place, it would not end well for her."

"Sookie will be fine. She is strong and she will understand. If it comes to my final death, she will have you and Bill. We can have the witch break the bond as she did before." I never expected to ever say such nonsense about Sookie needing Bill but that time may come. I know that they will keep her safe.

"May I speak freely, Master?"

"You haven't stopped thus far; there is no point in stopping now."

Looking right into my eyes without so much as flinching, Pam said to me, "You are being selfish and you are wrong. You cannot do this to her, Eric. Sookie is stronger than you give her credit for." She wasn't being her usual condescending self; she was showing real concern.

"There is no need to upset her. There is no need in frightening her. I have told her that there is something that we need to discuss. I will handle this," I said smoothly.

My child looked at me as if she pitied me. "My telepathic friend is not stupid. You need to tell her. You've come too far to mess it up now."

Angrily, I said, "I will handle the situation. Now, is there anything else?"

Watching me carefully, Pam said, "Nothing at all, master." She left without another word said.

For the next twenty minutes, I went over paperwork that had been waiting for my signature. I've neglected a lot of area and Fangtasia business since Sookie has moved in. She is all that I think of but tonight, I need to concentrate. I will get this work done.

Just as I signed my last paper, I felt my wife. The bond is just where it needs to be. We have worked adamantly at reforming the bond. I can feel every emotion that is flowing through her. Pure elation radiated through her.

When I walk into the bar to greet her, I see something that I am not happy to see. Sookie and Bill enter the bar holding hands. They came in laughing and talking. As I stood in the middle of the floor and stared at them, my anger is a full force and Sookie looks my way. She squeezes Bill's hand. After she whispers something in his ear, she kisses his cheek and she comes to me.

"I've missed you," she said after she kissed me. "Did you rest well?"

"What did you say to him?" I asked angrily.

"I said that I needed to get to you. Your bad attitude almost knocked me to the floor. I also thanked him for helping me unpack the car. He was at the Stop 'n Shop when I stopped for gas. Now, did you rest well?"

My eyes were still on Compton. The smug bastard looked at me as if he still had a chance with her. He smiled and turned away from me.

"I would have helped you. Why did you not call me?" I wondered if he'd be smiling if I ripped his throat out.

"There was no need to. Oh, Bill said that Bubba's not coming. He's in Mississippi with Russell and Betty Jo. Why would Bubba need to be here?" The smile left her face.

I ignored her question. "You were holding his hand."

I kept a steady and deadly gaze on Bill. I'd kill him if it wouldn't upset her. She's sensitive when it comes to such things. I'd offered to hurt Jason for her in retaliation for his many betrayals but she declined. She was going to have to change her way of thinking once she is turned. While I was staring at Bill, the humans, Colton and Immanuel, arrived.

She took a step back and gripped my chin and focused my eyes on her. "Stop it Eric. We are not going to do this anymore. I have freely given myself to you forever … _for_ –_ev_- _er_. I am yours. Bill is my friend and he will always be my friend. I love him but I am in love with you. Stop being a jealous ass." She kissed my puckered lips. "Okay?"

I know that she loves me. I can see it in her eyes but I am not happy. She and Bill have a history and Bill has always wanted her back. He came to her rescue the night that I caused her pain. I believed that he thought that would make her come back to him. It didn't work. She is mine.

With my lips puckered and my accent more pronounced, I said, "You are mine."

I was trying to keep my anger suppressed but it was a difficult task when the enemy was looking at me as if he'd already won my lover's affections. With a slick nod of his head, he went to the bar and joined the other vampires and the shifters.

Sookie filled the bar with laughter. "You are so adorable. And yes, I'm yours. Always, always, always, I will belong to you." She kissed me once more before releasing my face. Her arms wrapped instantly around my waist and she hugged me. "Now, why is Bubba supposed to be here? Sandy needs to talk to him too?"

"That is what I we need to talk about. There is another reason that you needed to come here tonight." I rested my chin on the top of her head. I had to try to figure out a way to tell her of my possible punishment.

"Can we tell everyone that we're having a human wedding after we talk? We have to …"

"Again?" asked a masculine voice.

Sookie looked up at me with big eyes. Sookie turned to see who the voice belonged to. Sandy Sechrest; the short unattractive, gray haired bitch that ran Felipe's errands; I hate her. Sookie leaned her head onto my chest and closed her eyes.

"That's why Bubba needed to be here," she said under her breath. I could feel her nervousness and concern. "They needed all of us that were here that night." She looked around the bar and realized that everyone from that night was present.

Sandy continued to speak. "You two are just the cutest; wanting to get married all over again. Aren't you two already married? As human men say, why do you want to commit suicide twice, Northman?" She cackled at her own joke. "Does your king know of these pending nuptials? I'm sure that he would love to be a part of your wedding."

"He will be made aware," I told her.

"A human wedding; you are really into making her happy aren't you, sheriff?" Sandy asked.

Sookie turned to look at Sandy and smiled. "Good evening, Ms. Sechrest. I hope that you had a safe trip here."

She answered Sookie with a short and dismissive, "It was fine." Speaking to me, she said, "She is pretty enough and from what I hear, she is very different. I'll bet that she tastes sweet."

Sandy lifted her hand to touch Sookie. Sookie took a step closer to my side. I pushed Sookie behind me but she struggled to stand beside me.

"What are you … Eric," she said as she fought against me. She said my name several times but I didn't relent. I never lose my defensive posture. If Sandy makes a move for her, I will kill her in an instant if Sookie would stop fighting me. I sent Sookie a flash of warning. She finally stopped fighting against me for once.

"Sandy, welcome to Fangtasia," Pam said.

Sandy eyeballed Pam and decided to ignore her. She began to approach Sookie. I mimicked each step that she took. She began to laugh at me. "I won't hurt your pet, Eric."

I pulled my fist back and I punched Sandy before I realized what I'd done. "She is no one's pet. You will not disrespect her," I yelled at her. "She is my wife."

Sandy soared across the room. She landed in the wall with only her hands and feet visible. After dislodging herself, I saw that Sandy's nose was broken; well shattered and bloody. I think I'd broken some teeth and busted both of her lips. Bitch; she put a hole in my wall. I should beat the shit out of her for the damage that she has caused.

Sandy stood up and touched her shattered nose. A grimace crossed her face as she positioned her nose into place. She spat teeth into her hand. The swelling of her nose and mouth were slowly going down. She looked down at her bloody blouse and threw her arms up in frustration. She mumbled about her blouse being ruined. She ordered Indira to get her a cold rag so that she could clean herself up. She never looked at the hole that she put in my wall; selfish bitch. I made a step in her direction once again but I was stopped.

Sookie grabbed onto my arm. "It's okay, baby. Words are just that; words. They don't hurt." I can feel that she was trying to be strong but her feelings are hurt. I can feel her humiliation at being called a pet.

Keeping my eyes on Sandy, I told Sookie, "You are no pet. You are my wife. And you deserve extreme respect."

As Sandy cleaned herself up, my vampires had taken their positions. Bill and Pam were moving in slowly behind me and Sookie. Maxwell Lee removed his suit jacket and was ready to fight. Thalia and Indira were on either side of Sandy. Heidi had moved in behind her. Mustapha and Warren stood by the door. The younger vampires and the humans stayed seated. Sandy realized the attack formation and her attitude and posture changed. She knows that if she makes one more mistake, the only way that she will leave Fangtasia is finally dead.

Putting both of her hands up in an 'I surrender' pose, she said, "I meant no disrespect to your beautiful wife. Forgive me. Is everyone here?" she asked as she dropped the bloody rag onto the floor.

Maxwell spoke up. "Everyone is here." He put his jacket on the back of his chair as he took his seat. The other vampires slowly and cautiously returned to their seats.

Sookie was stroking my back; trying to calm me. She kept whispering words that she knew would soothe the beast in me**;** 'I am yours' and 'if you're a good boy, I will show you things you've never seen in your thousand years'**.** I was determined to be a good boy. I couldn't wait to see what she was going to show me.

Sandy interrupted my thoughts and made my GP fall limp. "Good. Can we get started?"

We were all seated as Sandy made her way to my throne. She sat down and wiggled her bottom on the comfortable cushion.

Sookie leaned over and said to me, "I'll buy you a brand new cushion tomorrow. I might even have the throne and podium torn down all together first thing tomorrow morning. Elephant asses splinter wood."

Because we were all huddled together, everyone erupted with laughter … that was all of us except Sookie. She sat in her seat with an innocent look on her face. Sandy looked at us angrily. Sookie looked just as appalled at our actions. Using her thumb, she pointed in our direction. "They don't know how to act around company."

We continued to laugh.

Pam pinched Sookie.

Sookie punched Pam and said, "If you leave a bruise on my arm, your ass is mine."

As Sandy bustled and shuffled around like a graying wharf rat, the others continued to laugh and talk as if she was not here. I watched her. Sandy had moved up the in the ranks rather quickly to be such a young vampire. There is one thing that I'd learned about Sandy; she is not to be trusted. She didn't care about who she had to step on to make it. She betrayed her maker to be in a position of power. She is smart and quite cunning. Her reputation of being ruthless is no secret. One would suspect that a vampire that looked like Sandy would not be much of a threat. Her hair is silver and she has a small round frame that matches her round 'silver' framed glasses. She has that matronly look … or fatherly … whichever is preferred. That's why people and vampires alike never see her coming.

As Sookie and Pam talked about clothes, Sandy interrupted with the clearing of her throat. "We have to get this meeting under way. I don't want to be in this po-dunk town any longer than I have to be. Trashy," she said as she looked at Sookie.

Before I had a chance to attack her once more, Thalia and Pam kept me seated. I looked at Sookie with pleading eyes; I wanted to kill Sandy. She shook her head and smiled at me. "It's okay Eric." Sookie looked at Sandy and mouthed the words, _'Fuck you'_.

Sandy dropped fang and stood up. As not to be outdone, so did I and the other vampires. Sookie never left her seat. Each of her vampires surrounded her with protection.

"What did you say, human?"

Sookie pretended to look surprised. "I said 'bless you'. You didn't sneeze? I could have sworn that it was you that sneezed." Sookie placed her hand to her mouth and demurely said, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Sookie lightly tugged at Thalia's hand.

"Yes, mistress," Thalia said without taking her eyes off of Sandy.

"Was it you; did you sneeze?"

Thalia shook her head, "No, mistress."

Sookie looked at Sandy and said, "It wasn't her."

Maxwell looked down at Sookie and said, "Funny."

She gave him a wink and offered her hand in a high five. When they were done celebrating, Sookie said, "Come on ya'll; Sandy wants to leave po-dunk. Let's listen to what she has to say so that we can make sure that she leaves ASAP. We don't want her here any longer than she needs to be." She looked at Sandy; her smile never leaving her face. She squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry," she said when I sat by her.

"It's okay."

Sandy looked at each of us. She watched how we are with Sookie and she doesn't like it. She has a look of disgust on her face. She then turned her attentions to Sookie. "This is our second meeting is it not, Ms. Stackhouse? You are what they call a … what is it called?" She snapped her fingers as if the answer had eluded her. "Ah …a barmaid; you are a barmaid for that shifter." She placed two envelopes on her lap as she waited for Sookie's answer.

"I was but not anymore and no, I can't recall ever meeting you."

I smiled. She remembered.

"You know, there are some people and vampires that are easy to remember and others," she made a whooshing noise with her mouth and a matching motion with her hands for emphasis. "They go right over your head. You just don't bother with getting to know them or remembering them." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I can't seem to remember you at all."

Pam laughed.

"Quiet," I said.

Pam tried but failed. She loves Sookie's sense of humor. She has always loved Sookie's sense of humor.

"You'd better listen to your maker," Sandy said.

Pam dropped fang. "You don't want to fight me, Sechrest. You wouldn't last."

"Pamela," that was the last thing that I had to say to my child.

"Yes, master."

Sandy turned her attention back to Sookie. "You are a lot of trouble, Ms. Stackhouse."

"Be careful," I told Sandy.

Sookie decided that she had had enough of Sandy's disrespect. "Am I no longer under your king's protection?"

Any human would have missed it but the vampires and Sookie noticed the flicker of surprise on Sandy's face. "Have I threatened you in anyway?"

Sookie leaned forward in her seat and said, "You've done everything including threaten me. I figure that since I'm still under the king's protection, you really need to listen to Eric. You need to be careful. All I have to tell him is that you have been threatening me since you've gotten here and my husband can kill you with no repercussions. I am supposed to be an asset to your king, am I not?"

A flicker of hate rested in Sandy's eyes. "You truly are a Brigant."

"That's what they say," Sookie said.

If she expected any other type of reaction from Sookie concerning the knowledge of her bloodline, she didn't get it. She got it from the other vampires but not Sookie. Even Mustapha and Warren came to attention when that bit of information was released. The humans looked lost. No one knew of Sookie's faery kin for certain outside of me, Pam and Bill. I can only assume that Victor relayed that information to Felipe.

I had never been as frustrated as I was at that moment. "Sandy, state why you are here and then take your leave. I suggest that you sit down and do as your king has ordered."

"You are right," she said. "As you all know, I am here to relay a message from our king. He has decided on what punishment will be handed down due to the killing of Victor Madden. He will not follow through with his earlier plans."

Sookie looked surprised. "What earlier plans?" Sookie turned to me and gave me an appraising look. I kept my eyes forward. Since Pam was sitting on the opposite side of me, Sookie leaned forward to look at her. Pam kept her eyes on Sandy. Sookie sat back and took her hand from me. I tried to reach for her but she crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap.

With her eyes on him, Sookie asked, "Bill, did you know of this?"

"I did not," Bill said.

"Eric," she said in a soft voice.

I said nothing.

As evenly as she could, she came to some resolve. Sookie looked at Sandy and said, "I am sorry for the interruption."

None of what happened escaped Sandy's attention. Smiling, she said, "Okay ... where was I? Oh, here we are. The king has decided to change the type of punishment. There have been some issues that were brought to light that Felipe had not been made aware of. Felipe was unaware of the attempts on Sookie's and Pam's life and the financial ruin that Victor had planned for his most prosperous area in Louisiana. Because you were defending what is yours, Northman, your area and your human wife, you will not have to suffer the penalty of final death."

Pam squeezed my hand because of relief.

A jolt of surprise hit me like a ton of bricks and Sookie's blue eyes were burning a hole in my face. With her voice tight and filled with anger, Sookie asked, "Eric, what does she mean by 'final death'? Why didn't you tell me?"

"We will discuss it later."

"You hid this from me?"

"I told you that I had something to discuss with you. Sandy appeared and we did not have time."

"We've had two weeks, Eric," she whispered. "What excuses do you for not telling for the past two weeks?"

The smirk on Sandy's face is as worthless as she is.

"Eric, you mean to say that you've kept a secret from your wife?"

"Continue Sandy," I said in a threatening tone.

"Will there be any punishments of any kind for us?" Bill asked.

Sandy only shook her head; eyeballing Sookie.

Bill looked confused and went on the defensive. He stood in front of Sookie and asked, "If there are to be no punishments, why are you here?"

Sandy laughed. "You can sit. I will not hurt your sheriff's human. You and the others are safe. You were only following the orders of your sheriff. I never hinted that there would be no punishments."

The envelopes that she had in her lap were now in her hands. She walked towards me and Sookie. "This is for you," she said to me as she handed me my envelope. "Again, Bill, you can sit."

Slowly and cautiously he did.

"Thank you. And this is for you," Sandy said as she handed Sookie hers.

I looked at Sookie but she kept her eyes on her envelope. Tears dropped from her eyes. She reached up and wiped them away; assuming that I did not notice. She released a heavy sigh. I could feel her anguish. My heart sank into my stomach. My marriage to Freyda hadn't been overturned.

Pam looked at Sookie and asked, "What have you given them?"

Sookie never looked my way. She turned her attentions to the hole in the wall. "Felipe's not going to void Eric's maker's contract of marriage to Oklahoma. He is going to end our marriage." Sookie's voice was sad and somber.

Sandy was impressed with Sookie's observations. "Very good, Ms. Stackhouse but unfortunately you left something out. Can you guess?"

She looked from me to Sookie and to the humans and other vampires in the room.

"Anyone… no takers?" she asked. When no one answered her, she said, "Spoil sports. Well, here's the rest of the surprise. You two will be separated for the rest of your little human's existence, she will no longer be a part of your undead life. She will belong to the king." She clapped her hands together and did a little hop.

Sookie said nothing. She kept her eyes on the hole in the wall. The pain that was filling the bond was unbearable. It was worse than final death. Felipe knew exactly what he was doing.

"As your wife has told you, your request to break your maker's contract with Oklahoma has been denied; which I suspect you already knew since you've contacted the council. This is your punishment; no marriage to Sookie, no Sookie nookie ever again. Also, the council very rarely goes against a punishment that a royal has handed down for the killing of another vampire or a vampire that holds a position within that kingdom."

"We will not break the bond. She is mine. He will never have her."

"That is fine with the king. He wants you to stay bonded. He wants you to feel what you cannot have. It is meant for you to suffer for what you have done. Final death was too easy. The human marriage that you propose will probably be approved."

Sookie defiantly looked at Sandy. She was a pillar of strength. With her voice strong and cold, she asked, "Are you done?"

Sandy was surprised by Sookie for the second time tonight. "If there is nothing that I need to report to the king, the meeting is over. Felipe wants the contracts signed once the council has announced their ruling."

Sookie stood up, put her envelope on the chair and said, "Goodnight Ms. Sechrest. Thank you for coming."

Sandy walked in Sookie's direction and before I could move to protect her, Sookie stopped me. Her eyes never left Sandy's face. "What games are you playing, Ms. Stackhouse?"

"Good night, Ms. Sechrest."

Sandy's fangs dropped.

Sookie didn't flinch. "Or do you need an escort? I'm sure Thalia here will gladly walk you to your car."

"I will do that for you, mistress." Thalia's Greek accent was always stronger when she gets upset. Her fangs descended at the idea of another killing; especially when the victim could possibly be Sandy Sechrest.

With a sense of satisfaction, I stood back and let Sookie handle it. Watching Sookie take control of the situation and giving Thalia a possible order brought me satisfaction. The willingness that Thalia showed to follow Sookie's order is surprising. Thalia hates humans. Most of the vampires in my retinue have taken a liking to Sookie and it has nothing to do with fear of what I might do to them. They actually like and respect her.

Sandy looked less than thrilled to be given her walking papers by a human. "There is no need. Goodnight, everyone. I will let the king know that everyone that was a part of the killing was present. He may want to speak with each of you individually."

"Before you leave," I said to Sandy. "You should remember that you will treat my wife with respect. It is best that you never forget that."

"Point taken, Sheriff," she said. Sandy is gone just as quickly as she arrived.

When she was gone, Sookie told me that she would be in the office waiting for me. She didn't wait for a response. This was one conversation that I was not looking forward to.

I turned back to the others and I thanked everyone for showing up in a timely manner. I dismissed the humans after letting them know that they will be rewarded for their services.

My attention went to the vampires. The younger vampires, Palomino, Rubio, and Parker were told to report to me when and if they were contacted by the king. I told Mustapha and Warren to do the same but since they are Weres, they will probably not be contacted by the king. "I do need for you to keep an eye on the humans." They acknowledged their assignment and left. The last to be excused was Heidi.

"You are an excellent tracker."

"Thank you, sheriff."

"Your assignment is to keep track of anyone that visits the humans and younger vampires that we know nothing about. Sandy and Felipe will make it a point to use them to their advantage; report to me each night. When I am not here, give any news to Pam."

"As you wish; when would you like me to begin my task?"

"Tonight," I said.

"Yes sheriff," she said.

Heidi bowed to me and left Fangtasia.

The most trusted of my vampires remained behind; Pam, Maxwell Lee, Thalia, Indira and Bill; yes Bill Compton. I know that the vampires present will stand with us during this time of battle. "I need all of you to be on alert. I don't think that Felipe is as behind the scenes as he would like for us to believe. I'm not scared to say that he is in Louisiana tonight."

Pam snorted. "Probably. He won't be happy when Sandy tells him that you and Sookie are getting married; which you didn't bother to tell any of us. I had to hear it from Sookie."

I ignored Pam's comments. "I want no one staying where they usually stay. Felipe is too calm with what has happened to his regent. He is not known for giving leniency when a vampire is sent to his final death; no matter how conniving that vampire is. Pam and I have several safe houses that you can choose from. Pam will give you your choices. Under no circumstances, do you return to your homes until it is safe. Report to Pam tomorrow."

They all nodded and understood. "Will there be anything else Eric?" Pam asked.

"That will be all."

"Follow me," Pam said to the vampires. Pam gave me a smug and knowing look because she knows what is in store for me when I go to my office. Her look said 'I told you so'. She had a look that told me that she would give anything to be in there with us. Bill had that same look.

When I opened the door to my office and went inside, Sookie was sitting on the couch waiting. Once I was seated, I was ready to tell her that Felipe handed down that punishment when she'd stopped speaking to me. I was going tell her but she would not accept my calls. Before I could speak, she took the floor.

Sookie said, "So, are you ready to go home? I'm awful tired. I've had the busiest day packing."

Again she had caught me off guard. Excitement, anxiety, and most of all...lust; I felt each of those emotions as I looked at her sitting calmly across from me. The strongest emotion of all was amazement. Her time alone had worked wonders for her temper; in a matter of speaking. I must be a glutton for punishment because I had to know why.

"Aren't upset that I did not tell you of the original punishment that I was to receive?"

At first, Sookie just stared at me. Finally she said, "No. I can't blame you. I didn't speak to you or accept any of your calls for quite awhile. I wouldn't let Bill or Pam tell me anything about what was going on. What you felt from me earlier wasn't anger. It was fear. I couldn't help but think of what my life would be like without you. I was this close to losing you. My life would be …nothing without you. It would be over."

I gazed longingly at her. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said. "Ask away."

"Will you be my date tomorrow night?"

"I would love to be your date; our first date." She started to laugh. "We had sex before we had a relationship. We got married and hadn't seen each other in months. We've been living together for what, two, three weeks and now we're going on our first date. We are an original."

I laughed with her.

After our laughing subsided, I said to her, "As you know, we live together."

"I know."

"So tonight, the upstairs will be your home. You must sleep in the upstairs bedroom. It will be as if I'm picking you up. I will knock on your door and present myself to you as a gentleman should. Will that suffice?"

She shook her head no. "I don't want to sleep upstairs."

"You will if you want to go on a real date. Haven't you always wanted that?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

As I stared into those amazing eyes, I silently reached out and offered Sookie my hand. She lifted her dainty hand and put it into mine. "Come lover, let's go home."

As we made our way home, her happiness was indescribable. Even after all that had happened tonight, she had proven to me that she is mine. I can't wait to be alone with her tomorrow night.

Once we were home, I walked her to her bedroom door. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss me goodnight. "No lover; we will not do this before our first date." I leaned down and kissed her warm, tanned cheek. "Goodnight, my lover. Until tomorrow night," I said as I left her for the night.

"Good night."

Reluctantly, I left her for the night.


	13. Chapter 13

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 13**

**This is the first part of the beginning of the date. I will break it up into three parts. If I didn't break it up into parts, the chapter would be extremely long. The first part will be from Eric's PoV, then there will be Sookie's PoV, and the final chapter of the date sequence will belong to our favorite Viking.**

**Thank you all for reading and giving me and this story your time.**

* * *

><p>When I finally rise, it is six o'clock and I am smiling and anxious. I sit up and clap my hands as to turn the lights on. I should have gotten a clapper long ago. This contraption is a million dollar idea. There is no way a human had the sense to come up with something like this. It reeks of vampire.<p>

The first thing that I do is look to my right at the wedding picture of me and my beautiful wife. I hope to see that same look on her face tonight. The anticipation of seeing my 'girlfriend' has me on pins and needles. Girlfriend; I can't believe that I have a girlfriend that is actually my wife. Pretty soon, she will remember what she is to me and what our relationship truly is. I am hoping that tonight will open the memories of what we once shared before our lives were changed forever. I quickly shower and dress so that we can spend the rest of the night together.

Once I'm dressed, I stand in front of the mirror and wonder if I'm presentable enough; khakis and a blue polo shirt. That's good, right? Sookie has always said that a man in khakis looks neat and relaxed. If that is true then I look absolutely wonderful. I pull my hair back in a ponytail and admire myself. Fuck wonderful; I looked absolutely mouth watering, even though I do say so myself. She will be pleased. She deserves nothing but the best. After all, she has me.

"What more could she possibly want?" I ask my reflection.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" Pam asked. She gave me an approving look as she leaned against the door. "You look very nice this evening. Human women like that preppy look. It gives the man an air of intelligence." I turned to see her smiling at me.

"Really, will she like it?" I frowned as I looked at the outfit. "It's not something that I would choose for myself but because she likes this look, I've decided to wear it. I wonder if she will turn me away once she sees me in it." I turned back to the mirror and fidgeted with my clothes and smoothed down my hair. "I could wear jeans and this shirt."

"No. Sookie will like this. Some of us like the preppy look. As a matter of fact, she's going to love it. Remember, she is the one that picked this outfit for you. She wanted to see you in something casual other than a pair of jeans and t-shirt," Pam said with a look of remembrance on her face. "Come and sit with me."

Pam led me to Sookie's vanity and stood behind the chair that I was to occupy. Once I was seated, Pam took my ponytail down and French braided my hair. When that was done she told me to turn around. I turned to face her as she straightened my collar. She stood back and admired her handy work and nodded her head. More to herself than to me, she said, "Very good job." Pam inhaled and asked, "Nautica Discovery?"

"She gave this to me a couple of nights after she'd moved in. Do you think that she will remember? I know that she loved the scent then. She said that it smells like the ocean." What if she does not like it now? I should take another shower and wear different cologne. So much about her has changed. It is possible that she won't like it now.

Pam stopped fiddling with my collar and smoothed down the front of my shirt; resting her perfectly manicured hands on my chest. "Calm down, Eric. Give it time and I promise that everything will fall into place. Did you see how she looked at you the other night?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Okay then. Nothing has changed. She still loves you. You're still the vampire of her dreams. She just doesn't know it yet." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. "You have nothing to worry about. Think about this; she was led here to you. We are her first vampires. Indira is right; this is fate. After we left last night, I did a lot of thinking. The magic that is at work here is beneficial to you both. She was meant to come to you. She is yours and she will always be yours. Now, you stop that worrying. Are you ready?" she asked.

She is right. Sookie was led to me and we will go back to where we were before.

"Yes; this is our second first date and I'm nervous. What if it doesn't work out the way that it did the first time? Why am I acting like this? This is not me! I'm a vampire … and I'm nervous. How can this be?"

Pam laughed and she was as happy as I've ever seen her. "You're in love. This is how you're supposed to act. Dear Abby says that nervousness is normal. Now, come on. She's waiting. You have forty-five minutes to get there. Take your time and be the fabulously charming vampire you've always been. Confidence is your best quality … well, after me it's your best quality."

I take one last look in the mirror and am satisfied. I give Pam and my reflection a quick nod of approval. She takes my hand and leads me upstairs. When we go into the living room, Pam hands me a bouquet of pink and white roses and a huge box of Godiva chocolates.

"Thank you. I did not think of that."

"I figured you hadn't. You didn't remember the first time. I did," she added with a hint of accomplishment. "Most men don't. Dear Abby says that women love flowers and chocolates on a first date. She said that the woman finds that to be considerate and sweet. It works in the man's favor if he comes bearing gifts. It is recommended that you do this even though you are a vampire; especially when the vampire is dating a human woman." She smiles at me one last time. "It is time for you to go."

We walked to the door together. When I am standing in the garage, I turn around to face my child and she is holding the door open and smiling. She is truly happy for me. I wish the same for her; especially after poor Miriam. Pam wants love and regardless of what she says, she needs it. She craves it. She knows now what it is like to have someone that loves you regardless of who and what you are. Once you have that, you no longer want to be alone. It's a life that you no longer want to live once you've been in love.

"You will be here when I return?"

"If you need me here then I am here."

"I want you here." A flash of love hit me.

It's only three steps away but it takes forever for me to get to my car. When I finally reached my car and for my keys… keys; all that I had in my hands are the flowers and candy. Before I even have a chance to go back to get them, Pam is behind me dangling them in my face. "You'll need these."

"Okay," I said. "I'm ready." I snatch them from her fingers and make my way to my lover.

When I back out of the driveway, Pam is standing on the porch watching and waving me off. In a voice that only a vampire can hear, she says, "Have a goodnight and I'll be here when you return."

When I get to Sookie's house, I have fifteen minutes to spare as I pull into the driveway. I sit in the car for a minute to compose myself. I close my eyes and I can feel Sookie's nervousness and excitement. I savor the joy of feeling her flow through me. One deep more deep breath and I get out of the car and slowly walk to her door. I can feel her life force humming inside of me. If I meet the final death this night, I will die happy.

Just as I lift my hand to knock on the door, it flies open. Amelia Broadway. Standing there wide-eyed and smiling; she is looking as if I am taking her out.

"Come in," she said as she pulls me into the house. "You look perfect. She loves a man in khakis. More flowers? You are really going to win her over. Mmmm, Godiva chocolates; do it big Mr. Northman, do it big!" She slams door behind us. "You are a good man … or vampire. You mean her no harm. I've spelled her house so that enemies cannot approach. They can't even stand in front of her house and you've made it past the wards."

At least the witch is good for something other than trying to ruin our relationship.

As she dragged me to the living room, she yelled upstairs to Sookie. "Sook, he's here!"

I watch her with caution. How can she not remember me? How can she not remember how she tried to break Sookie and me up? How can she not remember that I wanted to kill her for what she'd done? Sookie had to have told her. Things may have changed towards the end but I didn't trust her then and I don't trust her now.

Upon entering the living room, she pulls me down onto the couch beside her; the smile never leaves her face. She looks me up and down as if she is trying to size me up.

"She's so excited!" she says as she claps her hands. "Oh," she said, as she jumps up. "Would you like a blood? She bought some today. She said that all they had was the O positive or negative; one of 'em." She pointed towards the kitchen and said, "I'll heat it up for ya."

This was not the Amelia Broadway that I know. She has been replaced with a different personality. She has never been nice to me. She didn't agree with Sookie being with me. She said that I was trouble in a Sunday hat. Before Sookie died, she and Amelia had their 'girl talk' and proclaimed her love for me after which Amelia changed her tune. But that doesn't matter. I don't trust her. I especially don't trust her enough to bring me a drink.

"No, thank you," I said.

She was excessively talking; now that is what I'd expect from the old Amelia.

"I'll be down in a minute … or five!" Sookie yelled down.

"He ain't going anywhere!" Amelia yelled back. She looked at me and said, "If I have to, I will hogtie you. What on earth did you do to her? She is crazy about you." With her knees in the couch, she said, "Sure you don't want a blood?"

I didn't get to answer.

"She has been planning for this all day. Tanning, shopping. She is absolutely beautiful; wait 'til you see her. I have never seen her like this." Amelia cleared her throat and her attitude changed. She ran to the living room entrance and peeked upstairs. She came back and sat close to me. "You have made her so happy. She's always talking about her children; you know her job? Her children are everything to her but they weren't enough. I'm glad that she's found you. She needs something better. It's always been you."

A look appeared on her face but before I could ask her about it, she continued rambling on.

Tears welled up in Amelia's eyes. "All she's ever wanted is happiness and maybe, just maybe, this time she'll get it."

"What do you mean?" I ask her. I didn't bother to hide my suspicion of her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing," she answered. "I just want her happy."

I am not going to fall for the sappy, sad eyed puppy dog look (Sookie used that line on me when she stopped having sex with me; wedding tradition she said). I am going to stay on alert when it comes to Amelia.

"I will keep her happy." The stony look never leaves my face.

"I believe you," she said. She looked knowingly into my eyes. She looked as if there was something that she wanted to say but she didn't say it.

Question time and she was going to answer. "Have you known each other very long?"

"We met five years ago but it feels like we've known each other forever. We were dorm mates at LSU. The day that her grandfather brought her to school, he suggested that we room together. He said that there was something different about me and that I would be a perfect match for his dearest granddaughter. He said that I am the type of person that she needs to be around; 'cause she's shy and all, ya know? He said that I could bring her out a little."

Niall would never allow Sookie to live with someone without researching them. Niall knew that Amelia is a very powerful witch and her mentor is even more powerful. He was protecting Sookie when he chose Amelia. He has always been protecting her. Everything that has happened in Sookie's life in the last five years is because of Niall. He sent her back to me. Amelia continued to speak and I didn't hear a word that she'd spoken.

"The rest is history. We've been together ever since. Where she goes, I go. We are a pair; until she finds the one. That's you. I love her. She's a good person and she is so full of love and life. She's very caring and compassionate. She has so much love inside of her. She just needs someone to share it with." Amelia then did something that I did not expect; she hugged me. "You are the one," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" I softened just a little towards her but I do not return her hug.

She sat back and looked at me. "I've heard of you; how you lost your true love and you've been alone ever since. How you haven't dealt with another human since you lost yours. You can love and you want love. I can see it. You have been lonely. Well, so has she. Plus, she told you about her gift. She didn't even tell me about her gift. I knew it but still … she _told_ you. She has fallen in love with you. She hasn't said it but I know it. She's different since you've come along. You haven't tried to use her gift or even mention it when you talk to her." She took my hand into her own. "That means that you are the one." Again, she looked at me as if there was more that she wanted to say but she didn't say anything else.

"I would never use her. I want her."

"I can see that about you. That's why it's perfect!" She put her hands over her mouth and did a little yelp. "By the by, you smell delish. Is that Nautica Discovery?"

"Yes."

"See? That's her favorite cologne! How the did you know?" She smacked my arm. It probably would have hurt if I were human. "You are on point. That is her favorite." She then sniffed my hair. "Good hygiene. Women like that." When she leaned back she says, "Is that Zest?"

I nodded.

I suddenly feel panic. Sookie! She needs me! It took everything in me to stay seated. Then I remembered; the house is warded. No enemies can approach her home. Good job Niall ...and Amelia.

"Amelia," Sookie yelled down the stairs, "I need you!"

She put her hand on my leg and smacked it." Be right back." Amelia ran upstairs to see what her friend wanted.

When she goes upstairs, I walk around the living room and look at the pictures on Sookie's walls and fireplace mantle. The pictures are of her family; Gran, Jason, and Sookie. These are the same pictures from her farmhouse in Bon Temps. There is a picture of a woman and a man standing by a pond. The man is holding a beautiful, blond Sookie while a little boy is eating an ice cream cone with one arm wrapped around his mom's leg. They are her parents with her and Jason. There are little lights around Sookie's and her dad's heads. She is pointing at them and smiling. When I look closer at the picture, I can tell that her dad sees them too. Her mom and Jason are pointing at a butterfly. They couldn't see the lights. Sookie's dad had the essential spark!

In the next picture, Sookie and her dad are posing for a picture and the lights are surrounding them once again. In the next picture, her mom and Jason are in a picture together; nothing. Sookie and her mom; the lights surround Sookie. Jason and his dad; the lights surround her dad.

There are pictures of Niall and Gran with Sookie and Jason. The lights surround them all; even Gran. Niall and Gran are looking at each other as if they were truly in love at one time. You would never believe that this is not a true picture …or is it?

I go back to sit on the couch and begin to think about the last five years; about what Amelia told me and the pictures.

In the last ten minutes, I have learned so much from Amelia. Niall has had a role in this all along. He is the reason she couldn't find Bon Temps or Merlotte's. It was not meant for her to go back. He had to be the reason that no one from Bon Temps had entered her life; Jason, or Sam. What about Alcide? Will he remember her? Her vampires remembered her. Will the Weres remember her? Will Mustapha remember her when he sees her tonight? Will she still be considered a friend of the pack? Will Alcide expect her to use her gifts to help him? Russell and Rasul remembered her. They remembered the love that I felt for her. What has Niall done to make this possible? Why would he send her back to me when he could've kept her?

I need to know the reasons why. Before I have a chance to call Pam, Amelia comes running down the stairs. She stops at the living room door and looks at me.

She grips me by my shoulders and says, "She's ready! She is gorgeous!" When I stand up and begin to walk in the direction of the stairs, she says, "Flowers and candy."

I have a blank look on my face when I look at her. She zooms past me and takes the flowers and candy off of the table. I take them with shaky hands. "Flowers and candy," she repeated.

"Thank you," I said in an even shakier voice. I can't believe that I am nervous. I am a vampire …I'm not supposed to be nervous. I am supposed to strong and self assured.

Amelia gave me the once over and approved. She pulled me by my hand to the bottom of the stairs and yells and loudly as possible. "Okay Sookie."

When Sookie appeared from around the corner, my mouth dropped open. I'd never seen anyone in all of my existence that is breathtaking as she is. "Beautiful," I breathed.

Amelia squeezed me and squealed.

"I've never seen anyone more beautiful."

"He's a keeper, Sook!"

My friend

My wife

My lover


	14. Chapter 14

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 14**

**Okay; this is the second part of the date and this is Sookie's PoV. She is just as anxious and nervous as her Viking. Things are happening in this chapter that will definitely let you know that Niall is behind everything. We just don't find out why he's done this. We just know that Sookie is the happiest she ever been.**

**If you have the time, drop me a line and let me know what you think.**

**Please enjoy and thank you so much for giving this story and me your time. I can't thank you all enough.**

* * *

><p>When I woke up this morning at six am, I was smiling and so anxious for first dark to arrive. I am happy because he came back last night. I could feel him when he came back last night. I don't know how but I could feel his comfort, his calm, and most of all, his love. I could feel him all over me. Last night when I saw him, I was the happiest I've ever been; at least the happiest I can remember ever being. Since meeting him, I've had a torture dream, a sex dream of him and a dream of longing and need. The most prevalent thing about the dreams is that they all have been of him; his smile, his eyes, his touch; everything. I love him. How can I love him and not know him?<p>

I looked at the picture of Gran on my bedside table and asked her, "Does it matter?"

I could almost see her shaking her head no. "Love is love, Sookie," Gran used to say. "You never know when it's going to happen or if it's going to happen but you'll know when you find it. You have to open your heart to it. Don't be afraid."

I looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "I think I've found it, Gran. I think I've found it."

Eric.

Eric.

Eric.

I could say his name over and over again and never get tired of it. I feel like I'm sixteen and I've just met the love of my life. And if I want to get this date started with the love of my life, I sure as shooting can't lay here all day long.

I then jump up from the bed, strip down and run to the bathroom to take my shower. I hummed as I bathed and washed my hair. I hummed as I dried off. I hummed while I was brushing my teeth. I hummed while blow-drying my hair and lotioning my body. Putting my hair in a ponytail; I hummed. Grabbing my notebook from my desk, I flopped on my bed to make my list for the day and I hummed.

I look at my bedside clock and it is seven o'clock and I am making perfect timing. I don't have very much to do; groceries, bills, gas, wash my car, buy a new outfit for tonight. As I go over my list, I notice the other things that I've doodled; Eric Northman … Eric ... Eric and Sookie ... Sookie and Eric ... Sookie Northman.

Sookie Northman ... those names look good together. I realize that I am daydreaming again. Too much daydreaming and I won't get anything done. But it's so hard to not daydream when I have Eric on the brain.

After I've decided on what I am going to wear, I look at my naked body in the full length mirror. Not bad. I need to tan a little today but my body is not bad. I am a little curvier than most women that I know. My bottom is a little rounder than most. My hips are little wider. My breasts are full and they stand up proudly. I could go braless if I wanted to but that's not lady like. Plus, I don't do it because who wants saggy breasts?

As I cock my head to the side and look at myself, I wonder if Eric is going to like my body … if I decide to let him see it. Will he think that I'm too curvy? I have read in Vogue and Vanity Fair that curvy is making a comeback. Brad Pitt doesn't seem to like curvy women though; I guess he's out of the picture. Jamie Foxx likes curvy women. Hugh Jackman loves 'em. His wife is living proof that he likes curvy women. Eric has to like curvy women; he asked me out right? He noticed my hips when he put his arms around me as we danced last night. When I sat on his lap, he didn't groan from the weight. I'm good.

I then roll my eyes. Why am I even thinking such things? Why am I lollygagging again? There is too much for me to do today other than playing nude model.

I put on my LSU football Jersey and sweats. The first and only boyfriend I'd ever had gave me this jersey. Number 42; quarterback, the most popular boy in school ...his name is Bradley Davis. He was the sweetest boy that I knew but was not and is not the brightest light bulb in the lamp. A football scholarship was his ticket into LSU. He was crazy for me. We dated for about two months but nothing ever came of it. Nothing but a kiss and it was an awkward kiss on top of that. He tried to slip me the tongue but I kept my lips tightly closed.

I went with him to homecoming. The game was great. We won and had the best time. He was a horn dog but a sweet horn dog. The one big problem was that all night long he wanted to put his tongue in my mouth and tried to grope me. When he took me home that night, he gave me his jersey. He said that he wanted everyone to know that I was his girlfriend. He was nodding and smiling.

"I really like you and I want everyone to know it."

When I looked into his head, I could see that he thought that giving me the jersey might get him some action. He loomed over me and asked if was going to invite him up. You know what my answer was; uh-uh. The fact that he thought that a jersey would get him into my bed was an insult. I dumped him the next day.

While I was putting on my lip gloss and reminiscing, my cell began to ring. "I am here."

"'Sup Sook?" asked Amelia.

"Roll your car window up too much wind. That's better. Errands and housework; why? Aren't you in Alexandria?" I asked her as I tied my shoes.

"Only 'til 4 this afternoon," she answered. "Do you need any help getting ready for your date?" she asked. "And no, I am not being nosy."

I laughed. "Stay out of my head."

"I'm only asking because I'm happy for you. I'm just as excited as you are. When was the last time you went out on a date; 2006? Remember Bradley? Okay then. I like Eric. He seems really nice. He might be the one." I could see her waggling her eyebrows as she said that.

"Come right over. If I'm not here, you have a key; sleepover tonight? You know we are going to have a lot to talk about when I get home. You're going to want all of the gory details."

"Do you actually think that I'm going to miss out on hearing about your first real date in five years? I don't think so. I want _all_ of the gory and horny details. Maybe, I'll spell you before you go to make sure you tell me everything." She laughed a maniacal laugh.

"Just try it. I have to go. I'll see you when you get here."

"'Kay; love ya."

"Love you more; be careful Amelia."

"Not a chance." With that, we ended our call.

Around ten o'clock, after I had eaten my breakfast, I fed Tabitha. I washed my breakfast dishes and cleaned the kitchen and living room. My next chore was my bedroom. I changed the sheets and vacuumed. I have no intentions of inviting him to my room but I still need fresh sheets. You never know what'll happen, right? I sprayed air freshener over every inch of my home. Once I am pleased with the cleanliness of my home, I slip on my tennis shoes, grab my purse and keys. Within minutes, my day has officially started.

My first stop is the Stop 'n Shop. While there, I fill up my tank. Just as I finish pumping my gas, I see two of the girls that I went to school with. We are my sorority sisters; well we're supposed to be sorority sisters. They never really liked me too much. They thought that I should not have been a Gamma girl because I wasn't as outgoing as the rest of them. Anyway, they noticed me just as I noticed them. Each of us is thinking we don't want to notice each other. All I can say is that neither of us succeeded.

"Sookie," they called out simultaneously.

"Hey, you guys." I give them my fakest smile.

For a few minutes, we feign interest in each other's lives for a few minutes. They told me that they'd heard about how successful I've become in my chosen profession. They congratulated me. Since neither of them is working, I told them how great they look and how much they haven't changed. They then decide to tell me that I've gotten prettier since getting out of school. I'm almost insulted. What did I look like while in school … a dog?

"You're gorgeous," Bennie said. She frowned as she said it. "I think I saw you last night. Weren't you at the Sit and Spin? I think I saw you with someone … a big blond guy. Is he your boyfriend?"

Proudly, I say, "Yes. He's mine."

Dannie has a smug look on her face. "I think I've seen him before. Isn't he that sexy vampire from Fangtasia?"

"He is."

They look at each other. Neither of them tried to hide the surprised looks from their faces. It's also apparent that they don't believe he's mine. They can't seem to believe that I would attract a vampire like that. Bennie is about to put me to the test. She looks at me and smiles. "Maybe you should bring him to the reunion."

"We'll see," I said.

"It would be great if we could see you two together," Dannie said. "If you can get him to come," she added with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'm sure that I can."

They then ask if Amelia will be at the class reunion. I told them that we haven't discussed it but we just might show up. We exchange numbers and tell each other to keep in touch just in case we don't see each other at the reunion. I watch as Danni and Bennie walk away. They're thinking that there is no way that I can get Eric to go with me to the reunion. They look at me over their shoulders and wave. They can keep their false friendship and their fake concerns and congratulations. They hated me in school and their feelings for me haven't changed.

I was a straight _'A'_ student. I was voted homecoming queen each year that I was there. Just like at work, my sorority sisters believed that I was sleeping with this one and that one. My favorite rumor was that my grandpa left me tons of money and had a codicil set in his will that any and all of my advancements should be handled.

They were right that he left me a chunk of money but it wasn't for what they thought. I never used that money for myself. That money was used for different things but not for Sookie Stackhouse. They always wanted to think the worst of me. I was never popular enough or pretty enough. Their smiling faces hid what they thought of me but their minds told me all that I needed to know.

As I get into my car, I shake my head. "They are not worth my time. They will not destroy my day."

My next stop is the grocery store. I didn't have much to buy. I was almost out of snacks for the kids and I needed some things for home. I also bought the things that Amelia and I will need for our sleepover. We need chips, popcorn, anything and everything chocolate. We also needed wine. As I walk towards the wine section, I see a Tru Blood display.

Should I or shouldn't I?

I should.

A good hostess is always prepared. I decide to grab a six pack of the O negative; just in case Eric wants a drink when he comes over tonight. Maybe I should buy two cases; you never know when the other vampires may come by. I then grab the wine for me and Amelia and I am done. Maybe I'll call Belinda to see if she'd like to come over. I doubt if she will since she wanted a long weekend to spend with her man.

As I put my groceries on the counter, the cashier looks at my purchases of Tru Blood and shakes her head. She eyes me as if I've done the worst thing in the world but I say nothing. I am not going to let her ruin my day. This is going to be a good day. She is no different than Bennie and Danni. What they think doesn't matter. What she thinks doesn't matter.

"That will be $65.32," she said with a snobbish type attitude. She mumbled under her breath, "Fangbanger."

As I pulled my wallet from my purse, I ask, "Do you have a problem with my purchases this morning?" I looked at her name tag; Laurie.

She hesitated for a minute and then says as loudly as she possibly can, "I just have to say that I see girls like you all of the time with bite marks on their necks. It is girls like you that give us good Christian girls a bad name; messing with vamps." She placed her hand on her chest as if that was the most heartfelt speech she had ever given. "We have to stick with our own kind. We can't let them use us."

The people behind me in line never said a word but they listen intently to what the ignorant girl has to say. Some of them go so far as to nod as if they agree with her; as if they know me. The elderly lady behind me steps into view and looks at Laurie. The bag boy looks at Laurie and shakes his head after he chuckles silently.

I drop my shields and take a stroll through the self proclaimed 'good Christian girl's' mind. Ha; she wishes.

"Laurie; you don't mind if I call you Laurie, do you? Good." I hand her my money as I speak. "You don't know me. There are no visible bite marks on me. You just assume that I sleep with vampires because of the Tru Blood. But what I do and who I do it with is my business. You see Tru Blood and you've drawn your own conclusions; just as some of the people in line have."

I glance over my shoulder and they are no longer nodding. They being to rifle through their carts as if to make sure they've forgotten nothing …phonies.

I continue on with my little speech. "Proudly, I can say that I do not sleep around. Can you say the same?"

Laurie's mouth drops open and tears well up in her eyes. Her mind is full of anger. "How did you know … you don't know … why would say ...?"

"I didn't think so. Kurt, Pauly, David, Steven, Doug, Bobby, Chris, Patricia; I can go on and on with the list of men _and_ women that you have been with." I turned my attention to the bag boy and asked, "Right, Richie?"

His chuckle was no longer silent. It was an outright laugh this time. "I used protection when she sucked my ..."

The look that Laurie gave him cuts him off quickly.

Laurie looks at me and says, "How dare you talk to me like that! I was only making an observation. I was not rude," she says as tears streak the off color makeup from her face. Poor dumb girl.

"How dare you say anything to me about what I buy," I said. Remaining calm, I say, "You were rude because you shouldn't have had anything to say. You should have kept your mouth shut and I wouldn't have had to embarrass you. What I buy is none of your business. Since you are the cashier, your job is not to critique my purchases but to check me out; right?"

She nods.

"Next time, it'll be best if you keep your opinions to yourself."

She said nothing.

The little old lady behind me decided to chime in. "Laurie, you apologize to this gal. If you don't, I will tell Kenneth what you've done and see to it that you are handled but good."

"Sorry," said Laurie.

I turn to my comrade and say with a smile, "Thank you."

She touches my arm and says, "I'm sorry sweetie. Not all of us are ignorant. What you do is your business. You don't owe anybody anything. She'll know better next time. With the way Laurie gives herself away, you would think that she would know better than to pass judgment on anyone." The lady looked at Laurie and said, "She needs to go to church. Get that devil out of her. She can then be the good Christian girl that she proclaims to be. Her mama would be so proud of her."

"Thank you ma'am and have a good day." I offer her my hand and she takes it with a smile. I then look at Laurie. "You have a good day too. I hope that you treat your other customers better than you've treated me."

"Don't worry, she will," the little lady said. "If you every have problems again, you just ask for me, Betty Hairston. Kenneth, will take good care of any problems that you encounter."

"Thank you again, Ms. Hairston. You have a good day."

Ms. Hairston patted me on my back as I leave the checkout line. Ritchie smiled and gave me a quick wave.

When I reach the doors, I heard Ms. Hairston fussing about Laurie's bad manners. My day has only gotten better. When my groceries are loaded in the trunk, I mark the grocery store off of my list and I go to the CK store. I have to say, of all of the stores in Shreveport, the Calvin Klein store is my absolute favorite. I always feel a little happier inside when I go there. That clothing line looks amazing on me.

As I pull into the parking lot, my heart skips just a little. I love shopping for girlie clothes. This is just like Christmas to me. I think I skipped all the way to the door. When I got inside, there is the sweetest smell in the air. These stores always smell so good. I go straight for the lingerie. I buy new panties and bras. I know that Eric won't see my panties or my bra but you never know what might happen. Anyway, Gran said that I should always wear nice underwear.

My next chore is to browse around for a dress. Everything that I see is just not perfect for tonight. I had to get something that will stand ... oh my goodness. I've found it! I found a beautiful baby blue mini-dress with the heart shaped bodice top. I am in love. It is springy and it is perfect. It isn't too dressy and it isn't too casual. It is perfect. When I try it on, it is even better. He will love it. The tops of my breasts peek over the top of the bodice but leave a lot to the imagination.

Next, I need shoes. I can't wear the shoes that I have. They are too high and I don't know where he is taking me. I can't be uncomfortable and end up ruining the night for both of us. Just as I thought that I would be in the store for the next two hours I find exactly what I'm looking for.

Oh my goodness; they are beautiful. Amelia is going to be so jealous. They match the dress perfectly. They are the prettiest little ballerina flats and they have little crystal teardrops that adorn the center of the ribbon.

I ask the salesgirl, Olivia, if she has an extra pair in a size five. "My friend would love a pair."

"No ma'am, I'm sorry. We won't get any more of these in; last pair of the season. They were a big seller. I have a pair in two different colors and they are a size seven and ten. But I'm sorry that we have no others."

"No, thank you. I appreciate your time." I smile a devious grin. Only one thing comes to mind… homecoming, 2006.

Last white Donna Karen dress they had.

Amelia.

"I'll take these up front for you if you'd like."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

Yes! I just want to make sure that Amelia can't get a pair like them and I don't feel bad about it at all. Deep down inside I'm bubbling over with happiness. Take that Amelia Broadway. I walk around the store a little longer ... just to browse. Maybe I'll find something else that Amelia can't have. I looked at my watch and time had really flown by. It was already two o'clock.

As I walked past the jewelry counter, I see the most beautiful pieces I've ever laid my eyes on. They look like very old pieces of jewelry; heirlooms maybe. They are beautiful. Olivia comes over and asks me if there is something that I'd like to see.

"Yeah," I said. I point at the pieces that I am interested in. "What kind of jewelry is this?"

"They're supposed to be authentic Viking pieces. An older gentleman just brought these in here not too long ago; today as a matter of fact. He was in here just before you walked through the doors. I offered to pay him for them but he declined. He said that he could no longer use them. I'd just put them on display when you walked through the door. Would you like to see them?"

"I would."

Olivia placed the jewels on the counter and I am in awe. They are absolutely exquisite. They have to be expensive. Piece like these can't be cheap.

Eric.

"Is this pewter?"

"Yes. Beautiful, aren't they?"

"Oh yes. I'd like to buy them."

Olivia takes the pieces to the checkout counter with my other purchases as I follow. "I can't expect you to pay for these. They were given to us as donations. You just so happened to be one lucky lady. These are yours."

My eyes widen. "Are you serious?"

"Very. Special guy?" she asked.

I blush.

"I know that he would has to be special to be worthy of such gifts. Would you like the jewelry gift wrapped?"

"Yes please." I thank Olivia for her help and I give her a tip before I leave.

This has been the best day ever. My last couple of stops is to Verizon and the car wash. When I finally turn onto Sweet Briar Lane, I am smiling and as happy as can be to be home. I stop at the end of my driveway and grab my mail. As I sort through the mail, I see the invitation from my sorority sisters. Well, whoop-tee-ta.

Just as I pull into the garage, Amelia is pulling in behind me.

She gets out of the car waving her 'trick bag' in the air … makeup, moisturizers, flat irons; that kind of stuff.

"Come on and help me get my stuff out of the car." I grab the groceries and the first things that she grabs are my CK bags.

"What did you buy from CK? I didn't know that they were having a sale today. Why didn't you tell me when I called?" She is trying to look at my dress but it is zipped up to the neck of the clothes hanger and the bag is black. Take that, Amelia Broadway. No matter how she tries, she can't see it. I do my best to hide my smile.

"They didn't. I needed something to wear for tonight. I couldn't find anything in my closet so I decided to go and buy me something new." I turn to look at her over my shoulder. "I really want to look good for him, ya know?"

"Oh, okay. And you will look good. You always look good. When are you going to show me what you got?"

"Later," I tell her. "Help me." She put the CK garment bag on the back of the chair and the other CK bag on the table and helps put away the groceries.

She tells me about Alexandria and the client that she needs to meet with. She also said that she has hired two more ladies to help out since her clientele is expanding. "You'll like them. Hopefully I can get them in within the next few weeks." With her mouth full of the Pringles that she opened, she says, "I need the help. You'll read them for me?"

I hug her and tell her how proud I am of her and that she doesn't have to ask. "You know that I will. Plus, you are the best at what you do. Before long you'll have two more agencies."

"Thanks, Sook, but one is enough. Now, what do we do first; your makeup or your hair?"

"We tan."

She ran off to her bedroom and I go to mine with my CK packages in hand. We met outside on the deck with our towels and suntan lotion. We then lay out in the sun and let the spring sun give us that natural glow.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready."

We do each other's back and our own fronts. We put on ours shades and we are ready for the sun to cook us to a beautiful golden brown. Amelia hit the play button on the iTouch and said, "Let the tanning begin."

"Guess who I saw today? Bennie and Danielle; they asked if we are going to the class reunion." Amelia and I don't like either of them. They always gave us shit. Jealousy is a very ugly thing in college and so were they in anything backless.

"You got the invitation, huh?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, I got it. Are you going?"

"If you wanna go, I'll go. It's supposed to be in few weeks." Amelia is always excited when it comes to getting together with old 'friends'. "It'll be a whole weekend thing. We can chill and shop. We could either go just for that night if you want."

I thought about that for a minute. "Flip," I said. I lay on my back; Amelia lies on her stomach. "Nah; let's make it a holiday." I raise my shades and turn to face her. "After all, we are the most successful graduates to grace the halls of LSU. I'm 25. The head of child psychology in my department; I am amazing. You have a very successful dating service. You've just hired two new employees. You work with the best of the best because you are the best. You are just as amazing as I am. They need us there. What would be the point of a class reunion if the two most successful women from the Class of '06 don't attend?"

"Damned straight," she said. "Then it's a date. We'll stay together. We can get the best and biggest room. We will have a get-together with a few of our most jealous girlfriends; to rub their faces in our success no less."

"Oh, no doubt," I said with a giggle.

"And relax ... unless we have dates. If we have dates, separate rooms are a must. We will have the most fun. Flip." We rotate our tanning positions.

"Of course; unless we have dates," I confirm.

"Of course," she said.

Maybe if things go well with Eric tonight and the day after, I can ask him to be my date. For the next hour or so, we sunbathe and talk. The subject of Fangtasia came up but it isn't because of Amelia. I mention it.

"Wanna go to Fangtasia one night?"

She sits straight up and smiles. "You bet I do! You just let me know when and I am there." She asks me millions of questions about the vampires that I've met and I am more than happy to tell her. She is interested in meeting them all. While we are talking, the alarm on my cell goes off. My heart jumps into my throat and it hurt like hell trying to swallow it back down.

"Five o'clock."

"Let's go. We have to do your hair and make-up. We also need to go upstairs so that you can let me see the outfit that you bought today ... without me." I can't wait to see the look on her face.

"You'll love it. The shoes are absolutely gorgeous and they match the dress perfectly." When I walk through the backdoor, I can feel Amelia's glare burning a hole in my head. I see colors of green. I am glad that she is walking behind me; she can't see my smirking face. "I wish that you could have been with me."

Amelia ran to catch up with me with her towel draped over her arm. "You went to CK without me. You bought a whole outfit without me and that is including the shoes. You know how I love to shop. Did you find me anything?"

As we walk upstairs, I shake my head no. "I didn't really look because I didn't have a lot of time. Come on. Let me show you the dress I bought."

When we go to my room, I take my garment bag from the back of the bedroom door. I unzipped it and I just stand there and look at her for a minute. "Ready?"

"Show me, dammit!" She is almost sweating.

When I take my dress from the bag, Amelia's mouth flies open. She is about to throw up. It is going to be wonderful to rub it in her face.

"Gorgeous isn't it? I think that the sash really sets it off; oh here, look." I bent down and took the shoes from the box. I saved the best for last. "The shoes are perfect don't cha think?"

Amelia stumbled back and fell onto my bed. She said nothing. I listened in and she was jealous. Over and over again in her mind she said, '_Those shoes, those shoes, I want those shoes'_.

I have to practically bite my tongue off so that I won't laugh.

"Do you like?"

"I love," she said. "The shoes are to die for. Tell me that you at least got me a pair of shoes. It's all gravy if you didn't get me a dress but please, _please_ tell me that you got me a pair of shoes."

I hung my dress back on the coat hook and I told her no. "I asked Olivia, the salesgirl, if they had another pair but she said no. She said that these were the last pair of this type of shoe for the season. They had shoes like this but they were too big for you and not this color."

My heart bubbles up inside. I know that this is wrong and revenge is just plain mean but she did me the same way. I showed her the most beautiful white dress that I wanted to wear for homecoming our senior year and you know what she did? She went out and bought it. And had the gall to prance around in it like she was the Queen of Finland. Remember when I said that we were mad at each other for fifteen minutes? That's when and that's why.

"Damn," she said, "I wish that I could have gone with ya."

I put my hand on her shoulder and tilted my head to the side and said, "I know right?" I pretend to be sad for her but in my mind I'm singing, _'Tough titty said the kitty but the milks still good'_ but out loud I say, "Come on. Let's do my make-up and hair." I sit at the vanity and smile at Amelia's reflection.

She sighs. "Okay. How do you want your hair?" She is standing behind me looking at my reflection.

"Curly tendrils around my face, messy ponytail in the back; can you do that? Light make-up please; I don't want it heavy. I want to look demure and innocent."

"That won't be too hard to do. You are innocent. What about jewelry?"

"The platinum studded earrings you gave me for my birthday with the matching necklace? Sound good?"

"Perfect."

I am so anxious to show her the gift that I have gotten for Eric but I know she'll pitch a fit. I didn't want to tell her but I wanted to get her opinion.

"Look in my purse. You have to promise that you'll stay cool. Don't get mad."

When she takes my purse from the bed and looks in it, she takes the velvet box out and smiles. I can hear that she thinks that the box is for her. Her face falls when she opens it and sees that it is a gift for a man. She is about to say something smart but she stops herself. Instead, she smiles.

"Do you think he'll like it?"

"He'll adore it. He's a Viking?" I can't believe that she didn't get mad. She is really being cool about this.

"I don't know." That is a good question.

"Well, how did you know to buy him this?"

She looks surprised. I look confused. I am stumped and don't know what to say. "I don't know. When I saw it, it was like it was meant for me to get it for him. Something strange is going on, Amelia. It's like I've known him forever. I feel like I love him and I don't know him. When I woke up this morning, I ached for him. I _need_ him."

Amelia walked back to me and kissed my head. "I'll call Octavia tonight and we'll figure out what's going on. I don't sense anything bad. I think that it's fate. But I'll do what I can. I promise."

"I know you will. Thank you Amelia."

After a few minutes of Amelia doing my hair, I begin to feel nervous and jittery. I chalk it up to it almost being date time. It is almost as if I can feel Eric coming to me. By the time Amelia is done with my hair and make-up, we hear the rumble of the corvette pulling into the driveway.

She looks at my reflection and screams. She grips my shoulders from behind and screams, "He's here!"

She ran to the window and I want to follow her but I can't move.

"Oh, Sookie, you guys are almost matching! The blue in his shirt matches your dress!" She started to squeal and jump up and down. "He made it past the wards and he's carrying roses and chocolates! OH MY GOODNESS; this man's a keeper! I'm eating the chocolates."

Still sitting at the vanity, I tell Amelia to go and let him in. "I'll be down in a minute."

Without being told twice, Amelia slams the door behind her and she is gone. I think that she flew down the steps because I heard only one thump and the front door open. I turn back to my reflection and inhale deeply in order to calm myself. I am beginning to feel calm and relaxation flow through me. When I am able to, I go to my bedroom door and yell that I will be done in a minute ... or five ... or tomorrow I think to myself.

I really only went to the door so that I can eavesdrop on them. They are talking about how Amelia and I met. Then she starts whispering. Whatever she is saying to him is fine. Once I am sure that they are getting along, I go back into my room and close the door. As long as I don't smell any magic spells being cast on Eric or hear Amelia's screams because of a vicious bite, everything is gravy. I give myself a little pep talk.

"You can do this. You look nice and he does like you. You're not too curvy and your boobies are not too big. You look amazing. At least you didn't scare him off last night with your 'I have the potential to be a stalker' attitude. You are confident and you are deserving of this. He is yours ... well you want him to be. Now calm down and everything will be just fine." I give myself a full on smile and prepare to go downstairs.

I spritz on a little Obsession and swap the items from my purse to my clutch; keys, lip gloss, and his gift. When I try to walk to the bedroom door, I can't move.

Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea; my legs don't work! I am paralyzed from the waist down! I scream for Amelia.

When she comes upstairs, she tells me how wonderful he is and how perfect he is for me. She told me again and again that she believes that I'm his lost love. "He is so wonderful Sookie. You will be with him. He's the absolute sweetest."

After she finishes rambling I tell her, "You're talking too much, Amelia. Will you shut up? We have a big problem here. I can't move!"

She looks at me and bursts out laughing. "I'm glad. I'll go out with him."

My legs begin to work as I take a step at her with my hands ready to wrap around her neck. "Thanks Amelia."

"That's what friends are for. Ready?" she asks.

I exhale and nod rapidly. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Wait until I call you, ok?"

I nod again.

"Don't be nervous. You look amazing." She kissed me and runs back downstairs.

After a couple of hours (it was really minutes but I'm nervous okay?), she called my name. When I stand at the top of the stairs, I am so dizzy. I am afraid that I will fall down each step. The dizziness doesn't come from fear. It is because I've never seen a more handsome man in all of my life.

"Beautiful. I have never seen anyone more beautiful in all of my life."

My friend

My lover

Oh yes; he is going to be my lover. He is going to be more than that. He is going to be...

Mine.


	15. Chapter 15

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 15**

**Thank you all for reading and bearing with me. The video that is with this chapter is called a 'Series of Memories'. This video is a look into Eric's mind. You get to see what he sees when Sookie is standing at the top of the stairs looking down at him as he waits for her. I really hope that you enjoy.**

**Secondly I would like to say that I have received a couple, well a few PMs really, dealing with the Eric asking Sookie to be his date the night that Sandy handed down the king's punishment. His goal was to get her mine off of what they have to face in the near future. She deserves a night out on the town; devoid of any drama. That is what he wanted to give her.**

**Thirdly, I want to thank you all for your time. I appreciate that you all have read and reviewed this story. Even if the story was not reviewed, the fact that you read it is great. I love that you have alerted to the story and made the story as one of your favorites.**

**Also, I have to say this, if I forget or have forgotten, in all past and future chapters of this story, I own nothing at all. The story line belongs to me but the characters belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris.**

* * *

><p>When I see her standing at the top of the stairs, every memory of her invades my thoughts. I remember the smiles that used to take over her face after she'd shared our day with me. I remember how it felt to have her hold me after we made love. I remember how the rhythm of her heartbeat would lull me into a trance. I remember every touch, every caress, every 'I love you' that we spoke to one another. I remember the first kiss. I remember everything. I remember telling her that I will spend my life loving her and sharing with her. I remember telling her that my vampires will show her fealty. I remember being willing to give up everything that I am in order to be with her. I remember that she willing gave herself to me. I remember that my existence has never been the same since the night that she walked into my life.<p>

And to see her standing there waiting for me, smiling down at me, is all of the motivation that I need. Without a second's hesitation, I hand the flowers and candy to Amelia and make my way to Sookie. I take her into my arms and kiss her with the love and passion that were at one time only a series of memories. She returns the kisses with the same verve. Her arms go around my neck just as they've done a million times before. Love and passion are not just in the kiss; they are in the bond. They flow through us as if they are heartbeats; our life force. It is as strong as it was before she was taken from me. She can feel it. With the way that she is kissing me, I know that she can feel what is happening between us. It will only be a matter of time before her memories return and we are one again.

When our kiss is broken, our noses touch. "I missed you. How was your day?" I ask her. I look deeply into her eyes and I know that she will be forever mine. She knew that after tonight, our lives would never be the same.

Looking into my eyes, she said, "Wonderful." She gave me a slow, loving kiss. "Wonderful and it's all because of you. Did you rest well?" She brushes a strand of hair from my face and looks into my eyes. She kisses me again.

Almost mimicking her exact movements, I let my fingers trail across her beautiful and warm face. "Nervous, anxious, and happy; I could not wait to see you. I could not wait to touch you." I let my lips brush hers ever so lightly. "I've been waiting to taste your lips since last night."

Her forehead rests against mine as she closes her eyes. I hold her tighter to me. Uncontrollably, I smile. Her arms tighten around my neck as her legs dangle below us. Her heart is pounding so hard that it feels as if it is mine.

She opens her eyes and asks, "So, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. When we get there, I can't wait to hear you catch your breath. You're going to love it." I whisper into her ear. She shivers as my lips gently kiss her earlobe. "Shall we go?"

She nods with her eyes closed. "I'll go anywhere with you." From the emotions that are bouncing back and forth through the bond, I know that it is true.

I reluctantly put her down. She reluctantly takes her arms from around my neck but quickly takes my hand. Together, we walk down the stairs. She looks like the most delicate flower and she is mine. Once again, she is mine.

"You are so beautiful. I've never seen anyone more beautiful."

She looks up at me and blushes. "Thank you. And you are the most handsome man I have ever had the chance to meet." She winked at me; still blushing. "You look even better with me on your arm."

"Well, I cannot argue with that. We do make a stunning pair."

She laughs. I have never been as handsome without her on my arm. I wonder if she thinks that I am joking. No other man will ever be worthy of her. I am the only one that is capable of treating her as she deserves to be treated. I am the only one that is capable of giving her what she needs. Before I can tell her how she makes me want to take care of her, a voice appears out of nowhere.

"It's about time you two get going. It's 7:15. Y'all stood at the top of the stairs making love with your eyes and mouths for fifteen minutes and wasting time. If you want to have any time for each other, you need to get to getting." Amelia had a look of complete joy on her face. You would think that she is the one that is going out on a date instead of spending the night alone at her best friend's house.

In all honesty, we'd both forgotten that Amelia is in the house with us. It is almost as if she just appeared out of nowhere. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I smile once again …at Amelia; uncontrollably and not on purpose.

"Yes. We must be going." I turned my focus back to Sookie. "Are you ready?"

I can hear her heartbeat speeding up. Her pulse is racing. I can feel her joy and her happiness. I do as I did last night. I send her my joy and my happiness. She gasps and places her hand to her chest. The smile never leaves her face. She squeezes my hand and looks at me and says, "Yes," in the huskiest voice I've ever known for her to use. I can smell her arousal. I can see the ecstasy in her eyes.

Amelia holds the door open for us and watches us as we leave. "Have fun you two. Eric, take care of her." I don't even respond to that ridiculous comment. I would do nothing less. "Sookie, I'll be here when you get home tonight and you'd better tell me everything. And have fun; have so much fun."

As we walk to the car, Sookie gives her friend a wave and says, "Good night Amelia."

Being the gentleman that I am, I open the car door for her. I walk slowly to the driver's side of the car but my pace quickens with each step. I try to stay the cool vampire that she fell in love with but it is getting harder each time I am with her. I don't want to show how anxious I am but I can't help it. I inhale unnecessarily and get into the car. Once I am in and seated, I pat my pockets and I realize that it has all been in vain. I'd left my keys in the house.

"Shit," I said.

She laughs. "No keys?"

"I'll be back," I said to her.

Before I have a chance to get out of the car, there is a knock at my window. "You won't get too far without these." Just as Pam did earlier tonight, Amelia dangles the keys in my face. Amelia waggles her eyes at me. That's the Amelia I know. This time though, I don't want to drain her ... not yet.

Sookie laughs even harder.

Amelia begins to walk away but it is a fake walk away. She pretends to take steps away from the car when she is just standing there; watching us. She watches as Sookie and I hold hands. She begins to giggle and says, "Awww."

"Good night Amelia," Sookie said to her.

She waves but she doesn't leave immediately. Before I know what has happened, Amelia has leaned into the care and kisses my cheek. She whispers, "This will last. I am in your debt."

I can't believe that Amelia Broadway has put her lips on my face and has made a vow to me. What if I get a rash? What I suddenly turn human again? I am not being facetious about this. She is a witch. They can cast spells on my kind. I may have to drain her after all. If she ... No, no she wouldn't do that. She is not the same Amelia from before. She is happy for Sookie. She wants us together. She isn't trying to break us apart this time.

I hear Sookie laughing. She must have noticed the surprised, no; the disgusted look on my face.

"Night Sook," Amelia said as she ran back to the house. "Love ya."

Once our seat belts are snapped into place and the car is cranked, we are on our way. I turn to Sookie for a brief moment and say, "I hope that I don't disappoint you."

"There is no way that you will disappoint me. I've been waiting for this night since you asked me out." The infectious smile never leaves her face.

"I hope that you mean this. I know that this may sound arrogant but I know that this is the second best night of your life."

I can feel her curiosity. I will never forget the best night of our lives. It is ours and ours alone. She will have to remember that night on her own. Then I'll know; I'll know that this is meant to be. She has a surprised look on her face when she looks at me. "You won't disappoint me and _'the second best night of my life'_? What does that mean?"

It is my turn to laugh. "I am wrong. I apologize. I would like to change that to the third best night of your life."

"Third, huh," she asks.

"Yes," I said.

I can feel her every emotion. Her emotions differ from the look on her face; confusion, surprise, anxiousness, and excitement all flood the bond but her face gives none of that away.

"If you say so but I would have guessed that _I_ would be able to decide if this is the third or even the fifth best night of my life." She looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. She then decides to cross her eyes and stick out her tongue. "I'm just some ditzy blonde that has no idea of what I like. I don't know what I feel. Just call me Goober." She sounds like the drunken men that she used to serve in Bon Temps.

I roar with laughter. This is the Sookie that I know; argumentative but this time around there is a hint of playfulness in her comment. She is making a joke of it because she doesn't know what she feels. She doesn't know what to feel. In time she will realize that this is the third best night of her life. When she comes realize that I am right, I will relish that moment.

The rest of the ride is filled with the talk of what she'd done today and the fun that she and Amelia had. She told me of a class reunion that is coming up in the near future. She is nervous when she mentions it but says nothing more about it. From my understanding, she and Amelia are going to make that a week long holiday. Unbeknownst to her, I will be there. I've had to suffer through five years without her. There is no way that I am going to endure a week. Anyway, from her tone and demeanor, she has had a wonderful day. I only hope that it gets better.

Driving and talking with her made the trip shorter than planned. In no time at all, we have reached our first destination.

When I help Sookie from the car, there is only one thing that I am looking for and that is the expression on her face. I want to see the expression that she had on her face the first time I brought her here and lo and behold, I see what I am searching for. It is there; what I am looking for was there. It is the same expression she had on her face the night of our first date. And it's the most beautiful and gratifying look that I've ever seen. My lover looks happier than before. Her eyes sparkle bright than before. My lover is happy beyond reason.

"The airport," she said as we walk to the airplane. "Are you going to teach me to fly?"

As we walk to the plane, I shake my head no. "Our date is forty-five minutes to an hour away from Shreveport. It'll take over an hour if we drive. Flying seems to be the most reasonable, don't you agree?"

She nods her answer.

"Come," I said as we walk up the air stairs. I let her go ahead of me. "Let me show you the third best night of your life."

"You're wrong, Eric," Sookie said as she turned to look at me. I can hear the smile in her voice.

I look up at her surprised. "I am wrong? You are kidding, my lover. What could I possibly have been wrong about?"

She doesn't get to answer because Emily, the vampire stewardess, leads us to our seats. Sookie was to sit across from me but she took the seat beside me. Once we are buckled in, she takes my hand. I reach out and run my fingers over her flawless skin. When I look into her eyes, I know that she will always be with me. Her blue eyes capture mine; they are telling me that she loves me. She has always loved me.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Emily asks.

Sookie looks at me and raises her eyebrows.

"Yes, Emily. Ms. Stackhouse would like a gin and tonic and I would like a Tru Blood."

"Yes sir." Within minutes, Emily brings Sookie's gin and tonic and my glass of Tru Blood.

"Will you need anything else, Mr. Northman?"

"No thank you," I say to her. When she walks away, I ask Sookie again what she meant when she said that I was wrong. "I must know what you mean. I am quite curious. I am very rarely wrong and for you to say that I am, is quite intriguing."

She rolls her eyes and says, "Please."

I laugh. "Tell me, lover."

Sookie leans her head onto my shoulder and wraps her arms around my arm as she holds onto my hand. "This is by far the best night of my life."

I break into a smile as I inhale her scent. This moment, right now, is perfect. I spend the rest of the flight staring out into the night sky. This woman has always been my downfall. She has always made me do things and feel things that were never part of who I am. She has always made me feel like a man and I love her for that. That is the greatest gift that she has ever given me. When I'm with Sookie, I have no regrets.

Love was never something that I wanted. It was mysterious to some; it was nothing to me. Then she happened. From the first day of meeting the girl in the white dress, she has occupied my every thought; every hour, every minute, every second is filled with Sookie. I can't help it. No matter how I try, I can't help it. I can't stop it …not that I've ever wanted to. I never thought that I would find anything stronger than I am.

Love has defeated me.

I willingly lose this battle.


	16. Chapter 16

****I Remember You****

**Chapter 16**

**I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing, for making this story your favorite, and for looking out for the alerts. I also want to apologize for not sending each of you a personal thank you for reading but I hope that you know that I do appreciate your time and that you give it to this story. I promise not to go a week again without posting a chapter.**

**I hope that you all enjoyed Eric's memories and I hope that you all have enjoyed their first second date so far. This is the surprise that will begin to bring her memory back ... just a little. After the date sequence has ended, we will journey to land of the flashbacks.**

**The main characters belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris but the story line belongs to me.**

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><p>"Where are we?" Sookie asks as we step from the plane.<p>

Curiosity is getting the better of her. Her piercing blue eyes are like those of a newly made vampire. They are filled with the excitement of the unknown. The idea of something new has taken hold of her. Her gaze falls upon my own; waiting ... no begging for me to tell her. I want to tell her that we've been here before. I want to tell her that this place is our heaven. I want to tell her that this is the place where I made the promise to love her forever.

Instead, I shake my head and my finger at my impatient lover. "As I've said before, it's a surprise. You'll just have to wait, my love." I lead her to the waiting limousine. Emily follows us, carrying Sookie's purse and the carry-on bag that Pam had delivered to plane earlier during the day.

After Emily hands Sookie her purse and gives Mustapha the carry-on bag, she asks if there is anything else that is needed of her. From the look in her eyes and the way that she is staring at Sookie, I know what she wants; she is ready to feed. She notices me watching her watch Sookie and she drops her gaze to the ground. She knows that eyeing my wife in such a way is punishable by death. She was told this before we boarded. Because she is new to our ways, I will forgive her slight ... just this once.

"You may go. We will depart three hours before sunrise." She bows to me and to Sookie before she blurs out of sight. I pity the human that she glamors tonight.

The passenger side door of the limo opens and there stands Heidi. She was not made aware that my date for this evening was going to be Sookie. She was only told that her tracking skills would be needed. The less that she knew ahead of time, the better. She looks at Sookie and a flash of recognition settles on her face. Without warning, she goes to Sookie and hugs her.

"We have missed you." Her eyes are showing the same happiness as the others. Just like the others, she doesn't realize that Sookie does not recognize her. I feel the uneasiness rolling through Sookie as she stares at Heidi. "Eric, this is not possible. This can't be. She was …"

"Heidi," was all that I had to say.

Heidi stepped away from Sookie.

"Did I meet you at Fangtasia the other night?" There is some uncertainty in Sookie's voice. She knows that she didn't meet Heidi. Sookie offers Heidi her hand in greeting. "I am sorry if I have forgotten your name." Sookie looks at her intently; almost as if she is trying to read her. From the look on her face, she gets nothing but the fear and uneasiness have left her face.

Heidi looks from Sookie to me and releases Sookie's hand. "I apologize, Master ... Miss. Stackhouse?" she asks with a hint of hesitation and question.

I give a quick nod.

"I thought that you were someone else. Forgive me." Heidi looks at me from the corner of her eye but says nothing else.

Mustapha stands behind Sookie with his hand in his jacket pocket; staring at Heidi. Sookie never saw him leave the car. He understands why he is here. He is here to protect me and my date. That is all he was told. I could feel his vibrations when he first saw Sookie but he remained calm and on duty. Unlike Heidi, his emotions didn't overtake him.

"Shall we go?" Mustapha asks. He proceeds to open the doors without waiting for an answer; still watching Heidi's movements. She would never hurt Sookie, mind you, but Mustapha has a job to do.

Sookie turns to look at him. "Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse," she says with the offer of her hand. When he takes her hand, she moves in closer to him. "You're different; only colors and sounds. What are you?"

"I am a Were." A faint smile passed his face.

She smiles up at the Were and says, "Well, whoop-tee-ta; it is very nice to meet you." She pumps his hand up and down enthusiastically. "You're my first ... Were that is. It's so nice to meet you."

He nods at her.

"Well," she says, as she throws her arms in the air, "I guess I'll get in the car. We have somewhere to be."

Once Sookie is seated, Mustapha and Heidi look at me. I nod at them both; they know no questions will be asked nor answered. They are only needed for security; at Pam's suggestion. When I am seated by her, Sookie is looking in the direction of the front seat.

"Can you believe that I've met a Were?" She shakes her head at that revelation. A look of confusion then comes over her face. "What is a Were exactly? I've read about them but there are a lot of different Weres. What does he turn into?"

"That means he's a werewolf. If he was any other species, he would have included the type of Were that he is; such as were-bat or were-bear." She doesn't realize that she has met were-tigers, werewolves and shifters. "Werewolves are the only species that call themselves Weres."

I don't think she heard the last part. "Were-bat?" she asks. That gets a hearty laugh out of her. "That sucks. That's got to be the worst of the worst. Hey, why did Heidi call you that ... master? Do you _own _her?"

"Because I am her superior and she is an underling in my retinue. It is a sign of respect."

Sookie looks smugly at me. "Don't expect me to call you master, buster. That is never gonna happen." She takes my hand and looks out of the window. In her sweet southern drawl, she says, "You could take me home right now and I'd be the happiest I've ever been."

I watch her has she looks out of the window; the smile never leaves her face. In this very same limo, five years ago, we made love on our way home. She told me that it would be the last time that we'd make love until we were legally married; human style. I didn't realize it at the time but she was right; it was the last time that we made love. It was not by choice.

"It is a beautiful night," she says as she looks out of the window. "The moon and the stars are so beautiful." She squeezes my hand. "They have nothing on the sun mind you but they are beautiful just the same."

I trace my thumb and forefinger over her shoulder. I move closer to her and inhale her sweet scent; sunlight, Obsession, the sweet faery scent that is hers alone, our blood. I breathe in the scent that is Sookie. "They have nothing on you."

She turns so that we are facing each other. Those piercing blue eyes see right through me. She touches my face; tracing her thumb over my lips.

"Beautiful," she whispers. Before she has a chance to honor me with the sweet, softness of her lips, the car comes to a stop.

"I guess we'll just have to wait," she says to me; her sweet breath taking hold of me. Her lips barely touching mine as she speaks those hate-filled words. "It will be hard to do." Leaning forward, she purposely brushes her lips over my own. My fangs descend up on contact. She uses her tongue and lightly touches the tip of each one. From the look in her eyes, she knows what this does to me.

She did this same thing as she rode me to ecstasy the last night that we made love. "_No more Sookie Nookie for you until after we get married_." I can still feel the wood of the bedroom door hit the head of the Gracious Plenty as she slammed the door in my face.

Mustapha interrupts my thoughts by opening my door. "We are here."

He helps Sookie from the car as she gingerly offers him her hand. "Thank you Mustapha."

He bows his acknowledgement.

As I step from the car, I watch her face. She ignores us and walks in the direction of one of her surprises. Heidi and Mustapha stand behind me. "Heidi, when Maxwell came here last night, he could sense the fae. See what you can find; Mustapha, keep guard. Have the humans been warned about the security issues?" The humans that I am speaking of are the chef and her assistant.

"Yes."

"Good; take this to the area," I say as I hand him the carry-all bag. "You may go."

They are soon gone.

With her back still facing me, I stand behind her.

"This is beautiful, Eric."

There before us is a moonlit dinner. The table is displayed on a platform covered in the plushest red carpet. Candles surround the outer edges and they adorn the edges of the stairs leading to dance area. The table is covered in a silk and lace tablecloth. There are trees that hang over the platform that shades the area perfectly. The MP3 player is prominently sitting to the left of the dinner area. Pam is going to go on another shopping trip to Paris. She has outdone herself once again.

She turns to look at me. "You did all of this for me? Why?" Before I have a chance to answer her, she turns her attentions back to the setting. "No one has ever done anything like this for me. Why would you do this? You don't even know me."

I pull her to my chest and take her into my arms. With my chin resting on the top of her head, I say, "I do. You deserve this. You deserve so much more." I kiss the top of her head as she leans into me.

She wraps her arms around mine and says, "You had better be careful, Eric Northman. You are going to spoil me for any other man."

"Those are my intentions."

"Why would you do this for me?"

"You're special."

She shakes her head no. "I'm nobody."

"You're everything," I say to her in my firmest voice. "I never want to hear you speak such garbage again. You are everything."

With her arms tightening around me, she says, "What makes me so special?"

"Because you're mine; you're my only lover." I kiss the top of her head.

"I'm yours?" she asks as she unravels herself from my arms.

"Yes." There is no hint of a question in my answer. She reaches for my hand and leads me to the platform.

Upon answering her question, she turns to look at me once we are on the platform. I realize at that very second that I've made a huge mistake. Sookie has never been one to be claimed as a piece of property, as she called it. She has never been my property; she was mine because she was and is part of me. She is a part of my life, my very being. When I called her mine, I never meant that she no longer belonged to herself. She never seemed to understand that.

"What does that mean exactly?" she asks as she walks in the direction of the music stand; placing her purse on the back of her chair along the way.

I don't know what to say. Do I tell her that she is the lost love of my undead life? Do I tell her that we share a blood bond that makes us one? Do I tell her that our souls are intertwined and that is what makes us one? Do I tell her that she is mine because she willingly gave herself to me?

"Are you mine? Do you belong to me?" She doesn't give me a chance to answer her first question. "If you're mine," she continues, "I'll gladly be yours." She goes through the songs that are on the player.

"I am yours."

She chooses a song and it is not just any song. It's the song that we danced to the night of our wedding; _'Give In to Me'_. She kicks off her shoes and wiggles her toes in the carpet. "Dance with me," she says.

I try my best not to run to her.

My hand rests on the small of her back, hers on mine. Our hands clasp as we dance under the moonlight and the stars. I look down at her; her eyes are closed as she lets the night breeze kiss her face.

"I've always loved this song," she whispers.

"They're jealous of you, you know."

She opens her eyes and looks at me, surprised. "Who's jealous of me?"

"They are," I give a nod in the direction of the sky. "The moon and the stars; your beauty outshines theirs." She turns as red as the carpet that we are dancing on. "Are you blushing?"

"Nooooo," she says, with a roll of her eyes. "Yes." She leans her head onto my chest and I roar with laughter.

"Why are you embarrassed? You realize that you are beautiful."

She shakes her head no. "I'm attractive but beautiful? No one but my grandpa and Desmond have ever called me beautiful. Amelia has called me beautiful but she's my best friend. She's supposed to say it. What kind of best friend calls you ugly?" She giggles at her joke.

When she said Desmond's name, a flash of surprise hit me; it hit us both. She looks up at me and asks, "Do you know him?"

"Yes. He's a well known and very important attorney; especially in the super natural community."

She stands a little taller. She is proud of him.

"Yes he is. He's my godfather."

Desmond; I decide to store that bit of information away for later. It will be very useful later on. I'm not going to concern myself with those tidbits tonight. I want to enjoy her. I want to share with her. This is our time. We dance and we hold each other; over and over again to the same song.

When the song is over, before I can ask her if she is ready for dinner, the next song starts to play. She jumps back and puts her hands to her mouth. She goes to turn the music up. "I've always loved this song."

_'Love is a Battlefield'_; she danced to this song with her friend Tara Thornton. That was the night she was staked in Jackson. She looked amazing as she danced. I remember watching her that night. I remember how sensual and sexy she looked. Tonight, my fangs descend as I watch her move her body in the same ways she would move when we made love. She hears them click into place and starts to dance suggestively for me. Her eyes never leave mine.

I feel an explosion of extreme desire and lust. It is hard to tell who it is coming from. She keeps dancing for me. I gaze longingly at her; wanting her. Every sensuous move is a move that makes my manhood throb at the idea of making love to her. She is dancing directly in front of me. She turns her back to me and moves her body up and down; her hands above her head. She feels the GP against her backside and I can feel the lust rise once again. She wiggles against me as she slowly stands up. When she turns to face me, I lift her into my arms and kiss her deeply. With her elbows resting on my shoulders and her legs instinctively wrapped around my waist, she returns my kisses.

The kiss ends with the song.

"That was fun." she says with a wink. "Let's eat."

Reluctantly, I put her down. I notice the beads of sweat that have formed on her forehead. Her ponytail has fallen loose over her shoulders. She didn't seem to care or even notice. Her skin is glowing. And that smile, oh that beautiful smile; her smile is priceless.

"You're happy," I say as I call Mustapha to let him know that she is ready for her dinner.

She throws her arms up in the air and yells, "Yes! I'm very happy." She laughs that infectious laugh. "I'm thirsty too."

Not too long after we are seated, Mustapha escorts the human to bring Sookie's meal. "What would you like to drink?" the girl asks her, with her head down. "We have iced tea."

Looking at her plate she says, "Can I have a Long Island Iced Tea please?" As an afterthought, she added, "No lemons. I'm allergic."

A frown appears on my face. She was never allergic to lemons before. She used to have them all of the time with her iced tea. She's more fae now than she was before.

Mustapha and the girl leave to get Sookie's drink. When he is gone, she looks at me and asks, "How did you know?"

She told me awhile ago that her Gran cooked this type of meal for them; Gran, Sookie, and Jason, when they would have lunch together. I chose this meal because I feel that the meal has to help with her retaining her memories. The chef had prepared hamburger steak with gravy, homemade mashed potatoes, garden fresh green beans, and homemade biscuits with butter. Mustapha, minus the girl, returns with Sookie's Long Island Iced Tea. It's not the drink that I had planned with the meal but it is still tea.

"Gran used to make this for us when we would have lunch together. We would sit around and gossip." She starts to laugh. "Gran called it 'catching up'; it sounds better than gossiping. How did you know?"

"You're a southern lady. Salads and soups are not filling meals for southern women. Your body is too voluptuous for such nonsensical things."

"What?" she asks. She almost looks offended.

"Skinny women are not appealing at all. Bones are not an attractive feature on a woman. Now a woman that enjoys her meals, that is what you are." My smile has consumed my face.

A frown consumes hers. "Are you calling me fat?"

My smile suddenly vanishes. "Have I offended you?"

Stiffly, she asks again, "Are you calling me fat?"

"On the contrary, my lover, you're perfect. Your body is beautiful. Your breasts are plentiful and your hips are what men of my time would yearn for. My brothers would have longed for my death in order to claim my wife as their own." Her face begins to soften. "I would be the envy of every man in my village; to have a woman that is beautiful _and_ can have my sons? You women of today," I say with a shake of my head. "Thin is not beautiful. A woman with curves is beautiful. You are beautiful."

Again, she is blushing. "Wife?" she asks as she begins to eat her dinner. After she takes a swallow of her food, she says, "That has never been a concern of mine."

"Explain."

"With my disability, I'll never get married."

I wanted to tell her that she's already married … to me but I didn't. Instead, I asked her to elaborate. "What disability?"

"You know," she says as she points at her head.

Taking a sip of my blood before I speak, I shake my head at her. "That is a gift," I say as I put my glass back in its place.

"Oh, yes it is gift. I love being able to do what I do and I'm proud of who I am. Don't get me wrong when I say that it's a disability. What I mean is that when it comes to men, it's a disability. I like knowing ahead of time what they are about and what they are after. At the same time, it's hard to be in a relationship when you know what your potential mate is thinking."

What potential mates? She was not to be going out on dates! Niall allowed this? She is a married woman! I could feel my anger rise and so could she. She looks at me strangely as she shifts in her seat. I take a sip of blood. "Any man would be lucky to have the chance to love you."

"Charmer," she says as she finishes her 'tea'. Just as she takes her last sip, Mustapha approaches her with another one. "How did you know?" she asks with a smile. "Thank you."

Without meaning to, Mustapha smiles at her and walks away.

"How's your blood?" she asks.

"Fine," I say. "And your meal; is it sufficient?"

"Delicious."

After a few minutes of eating and drinking, she decides to speak again. "May I ask you a question?" She dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her napkin.

"Sure."

"Why aren't you with anyone? I can't imagine why a man like you would be alone. Who in their right mind would leave you?" She took a sip of her tea as looked at me over her glass.

"Being alone was my preference. Many humans and vampires have thrown themselves at me. I didn't want them." I take a sip of blood before I answering her next question. "From what I've learned, she didn't leave me by. She was taken."

She looks sorry for asking the questions. Her eyes are now filled with pain.

"Are you done?" Mustapha asks. He appeared out of nowhere and she jumped.

She nods and places her napkin on her plate; pushing it towards him. "Thank you, Mustapha. Everything was delicious. Will you please tell the chef?" Her voice is now sullen and depressing.

He notices the look on her face but says nothing. He removes her plate and said, "You are very welcome and I will let her know. Would you like dessert, Mrs. Northman?" From the look on his face, didn't realize his mistake.

"No dessert but I would love another drink," she stated. She obviously doesn't realize that he called her by her married name.

"You like those spiked iced teas don't you?" he asks her.

"Delicious," she says as she licks her lips.

He laughs, "Anything else for you, Mr. Northman?"

I raise my hand to him and shake my head.

"I'll return soon with your drink." Within two minutes, he was back and gone again.

Once he is gone, she looks at me and apologizes. "I am so sorry for what I said. I never meant to …"

"No apologies, my lover."

She shakes her head, "Because you know, I don't know if she's crazy or not. She's not nutty, right? She doesn't have the potential to kill, does she?" She squeezes her eyes closed.

I laugh. "She could get a little crazy sometimes." I shrugged my shoulders when I told her that she only had to kill when she had to. "It wasn't a regular thing."

She begins to giggle. I can only guess that she thinks that I'm joking. "Let's get back to the subject of you. Tell me why you're alone."

"I'm not. You're here with me."

"No … I mean _alone_."

"I chose to be."

"Why?"

"I've missed her. I've only wanted her. There was no replacement for her."

Sadness appears on her face. "Why would she let someone take her away from you? You seem to be just wonderful. If you treated as you treat me and you've only known me for a couple of days, I can only imagine what her life was like with you." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I just don't understand why she'd leave you."

Looking deeply into her eyes, I said, "I have been wondering that for five years. I know my wife. Nothing would have taken her away from me. I believe that it was against her will."

"Have you looked for her … tried to find her? Maybe she's waiting for you to come for her. Maybe she waited and she decided to give up. She thought that you had forgotten about her."

"Never. I will never forget her. I've waited for her every night since she left. I've longed for her every single night. I've looked for her every night. I would wait and wait. She never returned to me." _That is until three nights ago._ My eyes never left hers.

"We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

"I want to."

She looks down at the table and then at me. "Do you want to find her?"

"Yes."

She looks at me and her eyes are as broken as the happiness that was once flowing through her. "What was she like?"

"You remind me of her." She looks at me surprised. "She was very smart. She was very brave and loyal." I smile as I talk about her. "Beautiful inside and out… she had a heart and soul that anyone should be fortunate enough to have. She treated me and my vampires as if we were no different than the hundreds of humans she'd met in her life. She treated us all with respect. There was no fear when she first met us; just like you." I look into Sookie's eyes. "She loved me dearly."

With that said, Sookie looks at me and asks, "I'm like her? How? You don't even know me. Eric, do you really want me or do you like the idea of having her back with you? I'm NOT going be a substitute. I'm not going to be something for you to pass the time with. I will NOT be that woman." Defiantly, she looks at me; meaning each word that she'd spoken.

I have never been so insulted ... and so pleased in all of my existence. She still has the same fiery qualities as before. She's still just as infuriating as before. She hasn't changed much at all.

"I am honorable. I would not lead you to believe anything other than the truth. I would never have wasted your time or my own if you were just a substitute. If you feel that you are a nothing more than a replacement, we will call it an evening." I may have said those things but I have no intentions of taking her home.

Sookie only sits there; shocked. I stand with my back to her and I retrieve my cell phone to call Mustapha; pretend to call Mustapha. She runs over and grabs my hand.

"Don't. I never meant to insult you or to question your honor. It's just that when you talk about her, I can see that you loved her … that you _still_ love her. A blind man can see it." She looks up at me. I keep my attention on my phone. "I only wonder if you'll ever have that look in your eyes when you talk about me."

I want desperately to tell her that when I said those things, it is she that I am speaking of. _That look is for you._ I want to tell her that she was and is the reason that I did not meet the sun five years ago but instead nothing happens. There is no sound from me at all.

"I don't want to go home. Please, can we stay?" She tries to get me to look at her but I won't.

I hear that she means every word so I put my phone back in my pocket and take my seat.

When we were seated again, she gulps down the rest of her tea. Avoiding the subject, as my Sookie used to do, she says, "Why would people treat you any less than they would anyone else? You and your friends were very nice to me."

Not everyone gets the same treatment as you, my love. "I can only assume that it is fear."

"I can only assume that it is ignorance." She suddenly looks at me with wide eyes, "I have something for you. When I went shopping today, I found this at the CK store. I just had to get this for you. For some reason, it reminded me of you."

She reaches behind her and opens her purse. From it, she takes a black velvet box. She slides it across the table. She has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen on her face.

"Well, Miss. Stackhouse," I said. "I am surprised by you once again."

"As soon as I saw it, I had to get it. It reminded me of you."

I touch the box gingerly. Sookie had never given me a gift before.

"Well, are you going to open it or stare at it?" I can at least say that her sarcasm has not changed.

When I open the box, I am surprised. It is the most beautiful necklace and ring I've ever seen. The charm that hangs from it has what caught my eye. The same insignia is set in the center of the ring. Using my vampire speed, I have her in my arms once again. This gift proves that she can and will remember us. She just needs help remembering. I kiss her with total abandon.

Once I allow her to come up for air, she asks, "So, you like it?"

"I love it. Do you know what this symbolizes?"

She shakes her head no.

"This is the insignia of my people; my father." This reminds me of the wedding gift that she gave to me. It hangs proudly in our living room. I trace my finger over the delicate design. "How do you know that I am a Viking?"

"I didn't. When I saw it, it was calling to me; just like Fangtasia. It's like it was meant for you. Olivia, the girl at the store, told me that an older man brought it in the store that same morning. She said that he had just left as I was entering."

Niall

Memories of my Viking past play through my mind; the fighting, the killing, the survival. "It is beautiful."

"May I put it on you?"

I put her down and hand her the box. I stoop down so that she can put the necklace on me. When I turn to face her, a smile spreads across her face. She slips the ring on my finger. "You are adorable."

"Adorable?" I ask. "Vampires are not adorable."

She places her small hands on my chest. "No, not all of them but you are." From the look in her eyes, I know what is next.

The kiss starts out as the tenderest of kisses. My right hand moves to the back of her head with my fingers in her hair; forcing her mouth closer to my own. My left hand encircles her waist; pulling her closer. I have never felt lips as soft as hers. She follows my movements and deepens the kiss; her hands grip the back of my head as she presses her lips against my own. My tongue sweeps across her lower lip; tasting the spiked tea that has made her inhibitions vanish. My hand travels to her nice, round bottom. I press her close to me. With that, she moans into my mouth. I want to make love to her. I remember how the warmth of her envelopes me. I can smell her want for me as I have a million times before but we can't. She doesn't remember us. She doesn't remember how we used to be. I begin to pull away from her.

"Don't stop," she says as she gently pulls me in and continues to kiss me.

"We must."

"Do you mean it?" Her tongue begins to lick the outline of my mouth.

"No." My fangs won't retract and my knees are weak.

"Don't you want me?" Her tongue gently touches the tips of my fangs.

"More than anything," I said. "Do you want me?"

Looking into my eyes, she says, "God, yes; more than anything."

"Do you trust me?" I ask her; our lips barely touching.

With her eyes closed, she nods.

"I have another surprise for you."

"Can it wait?" She continues to tease me with her kisses.

"No."

"Are you sure?" she asks as she kisses her way to my neck.

"Yes." My eyes have rolled to the back of my head.

"Okay," she says huskily; her hands still on the back of my head.

"I have to carry you."

Still facing me, she wraps her arms around my neck and I put her legs over my right arm.

My lover and I take flight. As soon as we are in the air, she gasps. It was not a gasp of fright but of excitement. "You're adorable and you can fly? Baby, you are a man in full." A smile lights up her face. She laughs and screams. She buries her face into my shoulder when she looks down. I laugh with her. "This is the most fun."

When I see that we are approaching the first leg of her surprise, I tell her to close her eyes. "We're almost there." Once we've landed, we are standing in front of a tent and I drop the bag on the ground. When I put her down, I say, "You can open them now."

She looks from me to the black and white tents. "Camping?"

"Go inside."

When she is in there she says rather loudly, "Now what?"

"Don't ask any question. Just go inside and get ready. I'm going to my tent to change. When I'm done, I'll be out here waiting for you."

Just as I expect, I am dressed first. It takes Sookie an extra fifteen minutes. I can feel her hesitation through the bond. She is in there mumbling to herself about this and that instead of getting ready. After another five minutes, I decide that enough time had been wasted.

"What are you doing, Sookie? You are ready, are you not?"

"Yeah but …"

"No buts lover; time is of the essence."

When she finally presents herself, I am in awe. My fangs descend and I want to take her where she stands. Her tanned body looks beautiful wrapped in the white bikini. Her hips are the fullest I've ever seen. Her breasts are barely hidden from view. The way that her body has captivated me, has embarrassed her. She folds her arms across her breasts and looks down at the ground. She has no idea of how beautiful she is.

"Why am I wearing a white bikini, Eric?"

"Put your arms down."

Hesitantly, she does it. She begins to fidget; bouncing from one foot to the other. Her breasts are beckoning to me.

"You are beautiful." I can't tear my eyes from her. She looks exactly as she did on our first date. Fortunately, she can see what she does to me. She looks down at the GP and her mouth drops open. I put my hands on my waist and thrust forward ... just a bit. I have to let her see what she is missing. She is even more surprised and redder than before.

I smile.

She turns her head quickly and when she speaks, her voice is quite shaky. "Time is of the essence, remember?"

"You are right. Close your eyes." Without hesitation or question, she does. I lift her in my arms and fly her away.

When we land, we are standing on our boulder. "Rushing water," she says. "Are we near a creek? I am _not_ wearing a bikini to wade a creek, Eric Northman. You can forget that. It is not happening." She crosses her arms and pats her foot on the rock and snorts. "A creek; there is no way that's going to happen."

"Look and see."

When she does, her hair is blowing in the slight breeze. Again, the moon and the stars are frowning down on her. They are still jealous of the human that has put their beauty to shame.

I hear her whisper one word, "Wow."

Still looking at her, I say, "There's nothing more beautiful."

"It _is_ beautiful," she answers.

I'm not talking about the waterfall. I am talking about her.

She looks out at the waterfall. "I've always wanted to come back here."

_It is working! She's going to remember!_

Turning to look at me, she whispers, "I love you."

Just as she did five years ago tonight, she dives into the water.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**This chapter is Sookie's PoV about the date that her 'boyfriend' planned for their special night. When she dove in the water, she knew that was it. She has been taken. She is going to belong to him for the rest of her life. What bothers her though is that she knows that she already belongs to him; just not how.**

**Thanks so much for taking the time to read and if you review, that is gravy and I love gravy. I do hope that the journey with Eric and Sookie has been worth the trip for all of you. I hope that you try to stick around to see where it takes us.**

**All main characters belong to Charlaine Harris. This goes for any future and past chapters that I have forgotten to include with the disclaimer.**

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><p>When I swim to the surface, Eric is standing on the boulder staring down at me. I look up at him and no matter how angry I want to be at him, it just doesn't work out that way. I want to be mad because he still loves her and wants her. But that makes him special, right? That he loves her that much that he has waited for her for five long years? I wonder if he's made love with any other women. Amelia said that sex and blood go together when it comes to a vampire. I wonder if he can feed and not have sex. I wonder what it's like if they love you. I wonder if she liked it when he bit her. I wonder if I'll ... never mind. Mindlessly, my hand trails over my neck and to the tops of my breasts.<p>

He is watching.

As I look at him, all I can think is that he is mine now. It is my turn to love him. She lost out when she left him or was taken away; whichever one it was. Too bad, so sad, stupid girl; I'm glad that she left. I hope that she never comes back. I want him for myself. I want to take care of him and love him. I want to protect him and to keep him safe. I will never leave him. He'll never have to know what's it's like to not have me because I'll always be with him.

I keep trying to look away from him but I can't. No matter how I try, I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. I do my best not to drool but it is almost an impossible feat. I don't know much about him but I know that he is a warrior, a fighter, a protector; he's everything that any woman would want. He looks like a Swedish God standing upon that boulder. The moon beams down on his necklace as it rests against his muscular chest. HIs cast iron pecs look so ... tasty and firm. I notice how his muscles are defined by the moonlight. His thighs could rival those of the largest sycamore trees. And that thing that was about to tear through the front of his swim trunks is extremely impressive. I'll bet it looks like an anaconda. I throw my head back and I laugh. I look up and he is still looking down at me. As if I am embarrassed because he'd heard my thoughts, I go under water and smile some more.

When I come back the surface, he is still standing there watching me. He has a magnificent body, he owns a nightclub and he is just an amazing man but none of that matters to me. It's his eyes. His eyes have taken hold of my heart and soul. I've never seen what I see in his eyes, in anyone else's. There is so much love and life in those eyes. I can see the years behind them; the years of loneliness, the years of seeing so much change while he stays the same, so many years of walking this world alone. Those eyes; they keep calling to me. They tell me that I belong to him. I've always belonged to him. Oh and his mouth; his lips taste like everything good and bad all at the same time. It is like eating an Oreo Klondike bar when you know you've already had two and you want another one and another one and another one. I want him. I don't know very much about him but there is one thing that I do know. I know that he is mine.

There is so much that I want to say to him but I can't say it. I want to know why Mustapha called me Mrs. Northman and I said nothing. I acted as if I didn't hear him say it. I didn't even bother to correct him. It felt right. I want to know why I can feel Eric's emotions. I want to know why I said to him that I've always wanted to come back to a place I've never been to. I want to know why I love him. I want to know why he's the first thing that I think of in the morning and the last thing that I think of at night when I've only met him three days ago. I want to know why I'm jealous of the other woman. I want to know why I want him. These wants are gnawing at the pit of my stomach. I know exactly what I have to do. There is but one solution.

I went back under in order to clear my mind. The water is so soothing and so cool. I can stay there all night; just to think. I only need time to think. Then I hear the splash. Oh my goodness. If I didn't have to come up for air...

And there he is; treading water beside me. "You love me?"

I think that my heart is stuck in my throat. I keep treading water. I want to say _'Yes I love you. I don't know why but YES, I LOVE YOU!'_ But being Sookie Stackhouse, I know what is going to happen. I will say the complete opposite.

"Oh yeah?" I ask.

See? I told ya.

Please turn me upside down and paint me blue; what in the hell was that?

Eric is staring at me; the look of _'I knew it'_ is dancing around in his eyes. A grin is starting to form at the corners of his mouth.

"You love me." That time there was no question. He is certain.

"What do you want from me, Eric?"

"Everything," he says and he means it. I can _feel_ that he means it.

"What about her?"

His expression is blank. There is no answer to my question. He is giving me nothing to work with. We stared at each for what felt like hours.

Then I finally say to him, "Why can't I read you?" I swim towards him.

That question got something out of him. "I thought that you didn't want to read my mind. You said that is what drew you to me. You said that you like the peace and quiet that I offer you. You can't have it both ways, lover. So which is it, Sookie? Do you want to read me or do you want the silence? Maybe I should be asking you that same question. What do _you_ want from _me_ Sookie?"

I don't know what to say. I have nothing to say.

Guess what? I'm not going to sit there and tread water either. I am going for a swim. I swim in the direction of the waterfall. When I resurface, I am behind it. There is an alcove that is just perfect for hiding out. There is a smooth area made just for sitting; for sitting and thinking.

Once I am seated, I notice that the waterfall looks just as beautiful from this view. Oh and it smells so sweet. Oh, the reason for the sweet smell. There are little faery lights lighting up the alcove. They've been with us the entire night. They were at the dinner and they were near the camp site and now they are here at the waterfall. I've always loved faery lights. Grandpa said that when you see the tiniest of lights, they are faery lights. He said that they are sent to offer strength, love, and protection. I reach up and one of lights lands on my finger.

"Beautiful."

Maybe it is just a lightening bug; just really bright, beautiful lightening bugs. They fly around my head and I can hear them singing ... sounds of little bells and rainbows. Suddenly, each of them look in direction of the water and fly away. They are gone. I look in the same direction and I see what spooked them.

Eric.

I see Eric swimming in my direction; a looming grin on his handsome face. He is coming right for my legs. He is planning on pulling me under; that jerk. I can't help but smile. He won't get me this time.

_Ha; I see you, Mr. Northman._

I lay back on the smooth rock bench just as he approaches me.

"You saw me," he said when he surfaces; his nostrils flaring. He looks up in the direction of where the faery lights used to be. Water rolled off of him; his long blond hair looked even better soaking wet.

My eyes travel in the direction of his abs; just above his trunks the blond hairs are peeking out at me. I could have sworn I heard that snake hissing my name, _'SSSSSSookie_'. It keeps hissing my name over and over again. It had to be my imagination. I licked my lips as tingles hit my nether regions. His nostrils flare once more and his fangs drop.

He knows.

I turn my head away from him. It is safer for us both if I close my eyes.

"You scared away the faery lights."

"Hmmm," he said. I can feel him looking down at me. "You were waiting for me."

"Don't flatter yourself. I forgot that you were even here."

"Did you, now?" he said as he lay down beside me. He scoots in close; making sure that any part of his body touches mine.

_Come closer, baby._

His thigh is touching mine.

_'That's right. Come to mama.'_

With one quick movement, I can rip those trunks off of him. I could do things to him...

_You stop that Sookie Stackhouse!_ _You just stop that right now!_

I squeeze my eyes closed tighter. I hear a snigger come from him or so I think. When I look at him, his face could have been made of stone for all I knew. There was no smile, no smirk.

I nod. "I assumed that I was going to have to find another way home."

Eric mimics my former relaxed position. With his hands folded behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankles, he agrees with me. His thigh incessantly rubbing against mine, "As did I," he said.

I sit up on my hands and look over at him. His nipples looked so tempting. They are hard too. It must have been the cool air. The breeze blowing on them didn't make things any better. Those muscles; I have to swallow very hard and deep as not to mix my spit in with the water that's already on his chest. In the end, that isn't a real concern. My mouth is dry. Maybe the water from his chest could quench my thirst. If I'd keep licking my lips, I am going to need tons of Nivea Chap Stick.

"Are you saying that you were going to leave me here?" My voice is suddenly hoarse. I guess I'm thirsty. Just a little taste won't hurt right? Those fucking tingles!

"I'm saying that I thought that you _wanted_ me to leave. I have learned over the years that human women are very emotional … some are quite disturbing. You, apparently, are no different; though you are not disturbing. I would have had Heidi and Mustapha see you home. Since you are my date, it is my responsibility to see that you get home safely."

Still looking at him, sarcastically I say, "You are such a man."

_Boy, you are _such_ a man. I'll bet you're a lot more man than I'm seeing right now. Oh God; my grandparents have raised a wanton slut._

I look at the print of the monster that resides in his shorts.

_There is really too much lip licking going on here._

A smirk leaves his handsome face just as quickly as it appeared.

"What in the hell are you smirking at?"

"I don't smirk. I am a vampire."

"Whatever, Northman," I grunt at him in frustration and I lay back down. I look at him out of the corner of my eye. He is still smirking. He makes me so mad. I sit up and look down at him. He has really gotten under my skin and dammit, I am going to tell him off. I am going to let him know how arrogant and condescending he is. Look at him; lying there looking so good and tasty.

_Boy I could do so much to … no!_

A chill goes through me as I look down at him. I reach my hand up to touch his chest but I snatch it quickly back to where it was when he slyly opens his eyes and looks at me …smirking.

That's it!

He'd better get ready. Laying there smirking at me; does he think I am going to let that happen? Not on his undead life! He knows something about these feelings that I am having and he is going to tell me. He is not going to get away with this! So what if he has beautiful eyes and a beautiful smile. Does it even matter if he has a beautiful body?

No!

Does it matter that I have tingles in places that I never knew existed?

NO!

Here it comes, buddy!

You asked for!

I am coming at him with both barrels blazing!

"What about her Eric?" Patented Sookie Stackhouse remark; I never surprise me. Shit; I guess it didn't come out exactly as I planned it but he gets what I'm saying. He'll know better next time not to mess with Sookie Stackhouse!

"I want you." He never opens his eyes.

Is he really going to lie there with his eyes closed like it is no big deal?

"What if she comes back, Eric? What if she wants to take claim to what is hers? You've waited for five years for her to return to you for Pete's sake! She will come back and want you back! And why wouldn't you go with her? You said that you have been waiting for her! You said that you love her! If she comes back, you'll have her! She was taken away from you! You're not going to tell me that you're going to stay with the likes of me when the love of your life returns!"

Nothing

Eyes closed.

Legs crossed.

Arms folded behind his head.

I pound my fist onto his chest.

I get nothing but a smirk.

"You don't even care, do you? Picture this. Five years from now, I'll be with you and I'll love you. I will be happier than I've been in my entire life and then she'll come back. And then boom … one night I'll come home from work and you're gone! You've left me for her! Where does that leave me? Out in the fucking cold; that's where! Because I'll be grieving over you, I'll miss so many days from work and use up all of my vacation time! And then what's going to happen? No Eric and no vacation time! I'll be fucking screwed!" My voice starts to shake as I come to the revelation that what I've said can really happen. "Oh my goodness … I have fallen in love with you and she could come in at anytime and take you away!" My hands automatically got to my face in order to catch my tears before they fall. I am even too slow to do that right.

I feel him sit up. He then tries to remove my hands from my face.

"Look at me, Sookie."

"No," I pout.

"Look at me, Sookie."

I shake my head no.

"Look at me, lover."

He waits.

I finally look at him.

The smirk is gone. "In this last half hour, I have found you to be extremely irritating and aggravating. If it was at all possible, you would have caused me to have a serious headache. I also find you to be frustrating and hard on my emotions and my nerves. You are extremely confusing. You are the type of woman that would drive a sane man mad and a mad man sane." Before I can work my mouth up to speak, he raises his hand in the stop motion. "I am not done. There are things, Sookie that you want to say but you won't say them. Instead you run. You are a runner."

"I am no ..." He gives me the hand once more.

"You will listen to me. You could cause a man to drink ... and I'm a vampire!" He sighs and shakes his head. "I can honestly say that you are the one that I want. Even with all of your nerve wracking qualities, I want only you."

I cry even harder. "Why do you say such things? Don't you see? What if I leave you or what if I'm taken away and you meet another irritating and frustrating woman just like me; a woman that would turn a crazy man into an alcoholic? What if I'm only gone for two years and they decide to let me go? What if I come back and you are with my substitute? Are you saying that you can replace me that easily?"

Eric throws his hands up in frustration. "What do you want from me, Sookie!?"

My eyes grow wide with surprise. I think I even jump a little. Why is he yelling at me? Am I not being logical?

He jumps up and pounds his fist into the wall of the alcove. I notice an identical hole in the wall right beside the one that he's just made.

"Why do you always have to do this, Sookie? Why do I have to fight you every step of the way? We have been doing this from the very beginning! What is the problem? When are you going to stop being so difficult? Stop waiting for the fucking _'what ifs'_! Just let me love you! Can you do that, Sookie? Will you just let me love you?" He punches the wall once again.

Before I can say anything about his little rant, I see that his hand is pouring blood. "You're bleeding."

He just stands there and looks at me. "I'm fine." He puts his hand down by his side as the blood flows between in his fingers.

I take his hand. "Sit down." When he does, I gently wash the blood from his wound. I watched as the wound slowly closed. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just being silly. I don't want to turn you into a sane alcoholic. I definitely don't want you to hurt yourself."

He chuckles and shakes his head once more. I kiss his hand as it heals. A little of the blood gets on my lips; the taste of it is so sweet. This time, I lick a drop of the blood from his hand and I look up at him.

"Sweet," I said.

He bears his fangs at me. He pulls me close and kisses me slowly. He gives me teasing kisses. But they are so good, so wonderful. He moves his slow kisses to my throat and inhales.

He says softly, "I have always loved the way your skin smells of sunlight."

"It's your greatest joy."

He nods in agreement. "I can taste the sun and wind here (moan) ... and here (moan) ... and here (moan).

"This feels so good. It always feels so good." I look up at the ceiling of the alcove and there are the faery lights. I smile and close my eyes.

As I enjoyed the sensation of Eric nuzzling my neck, love sweeps through me in droves. What follows next are the flashes of pictures. The pictures are of a faceless man kissing my neck and telling me how much he loves the smell of the sunlight on my skin. He tells me that tasting me is one of his greatest joys. His voice is sincere. We are lying in bed and his finger trails over the flatness of my stomach. He kisses the tip of my nose as he tells me how much he loves me. How we are going to be together forever. We have pledged our loyalty to each other. Soon we will be one. His touch makes me feel as if no one will ever love me the way that he does. The memory of a man loving me makes my heart beat one hundred times faster. When he shares his life with me, everything in the world vanishes. When we make love, we are one. It is only us; me and him. Everything else stops. It is our world.

Eric looks up at me and his hair falls into his face. I tuck his hair behind his ear and I look into his eyes. They tell me that he is the man from the pictures in my mind. His eyes tell me that I am the one that he's been waiting for. His loving eyes tell me that I am the one that was taken from him. For five years, he has been waiting for me. His eyes tell me that he is home. My home has always been with. My home _is _him.

But I can't remember him. Why can't I remember him?

He kisses the tip of my nose. "Talk to me, Sookie." His eyes never leave my face. He looks at me as if he was searching for something and it could only be found on my face. From the look in his eyes, it isn't there.

"Is it you?"

Suddenly, I feel a burst of love and happiness and everything in between. A laugh/cry combo escapes me. "I don't know how but I know that came from you." My arms go around him so quickly and forcefully that we both fall into the water. We emerge laughing; still holding onto each other.

With my arms wrapped around his neck and my legs wrapped around his waist, I kiss him over and over again. I don't care about him calling me a pain the ass. I just want to be with him. We continue exploring each other's mouths as we drift in the direction of the waterfall. I lose my breath and unwittingly break the kiss when the cold water bathes over us. I scream from the coldness of the water. Eric throws his head back and laughs.

Once Eric has us back into the center of our private paradise, we talk and laugh about nothing. This, that, and nothing important spews from our mouths. I tell him some of the jokes that my children tell me and he laughs. Even if they aren't funny, he laughs. His mission has been accomplished. He has ruined me for all other men. There is no going back.

"No other man has a chance," I said to him. "You have won me over, Eric Northman."

"I know."

As Eric treads water and we go around and around in circles, I watch his mouth as he talks to me; as he smiles at me. He is even more handsome when he smiles. "You have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen," I say to him.

I almost faint dead away when Eric blushes … at least I think he blushed.

"Eric Northman, are you blushing?"

His eyes tell me what his mouth does not. "Vampires do not blush."

"Liar, liar," I sing. "You are very handsome; especially when you smile. You could fool many people if you smiled more. Your smile makes your handsomeness more … handsome." He looks embarrassed. "You don't have to speak. I just wanted to let you know."

After a few more minutes of togetherness, I ask, "What did you mean that I've always been frustrating and difficult from the very beginning?" Before he can answer, I begin to shiver as the night breeze blew over us. My arms tighten around his neck.

"We can discuss this later. Come, lover; let's get you in the warmth."

I shake my head no and hold him closer to me. I don't want this night to end. I don't care how cold I am, I don't want to leave yet. "Just one more minute okay; this is our paradise, remember?"

Softly he says, "It is our paradise. Okay. One minute only; we can't have you getting sick."

I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. "I love you."

"We've always been in love. You are my lover."

I smile and I bathe in those words. "I am your lover."

"Yes," he says as he kissed my forehead. "Come lover; time is up."

Without warning, Eric flies us from the water and I really begin to shiver then. We land at the tents. "There are towels and a change of clothes for you in the tent. I'll be waiting for you." Once I've gone inside my tent, Eric goes to his and changes his clothes.

While I am dressing, I wonder when we're going to talk about the things he's said. I hope that he doesn't think that the subject is over because it isn't. We have a lot of talking to do. My memories, his comments; there is so much that has been left unsaid.

Once I am dry and dressed in jeans and a fitted pink too-tight tee, I walk out of my tent and I bump into Eric's backside. "I'm ready."

I don't realize that he is talking to Mustapha and Heidi. I hear the words 'fae' and 'her kin'. Naturally I become curious. "Hey guys." I wave at the Were and the vampire. "Who are we talking about … a vampire or a werewolf?"

Eric turns to look at me. Heidi and Mustapha keep their focus on Eric. Now I am uncomfortable.

"That's a pretty name; Fae. Is she a new vampire?" No one answers me. "Is this a private conversation? I had no idea. I stay out of it." I mockingly zip and button my lips. I begin to feel anger and agitation. It's coming from Eric. "What is wrong with you?" I ask him. "Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. I can go back inside if you need privacy." I point at the tent with my thumb. "It's no problem."

"No, lover," Eric says. "You are fine but we must go. Will you stay with me tonight?"

I frown and look at him. "In the tent … you want me to stay the night with you in the tent? There are no sleeping bags in there. And I am not sleeping on the ..."

"No. Here in New Orleans."

I nod slowly; confused. "I have to call Amelia and tell her that I won't be home. She's a worrier." I step closer to Eric and place my hand on his face. "What's wrong?"

Mustapha doesn't look at me. Heidi's eyes fall on me for a split second. Eric gives me a fake smile.

"Nothing; come we must go."

I step back from him. He is lying to me. He reaches for me hand. I jerk my hand away. "You're lying to me."

"We must go."

"What about our stuff?" I ask. I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "I left my purse at …"

"I have it."

My purse is hanging from the shoulder of werewolf. Any other time it would be amusing to see; a muscular, handsome black man carrying a baby blue purse. I would be scrambling to find my cell phone so that I can take a picture. Amelia and I would laugh like maniacs if I had a picture of this but this time, it's not amusing to me. It's not funny. Something is going on and Eric doesn't want me to know about it.

"Okay."

"Limo and plane are ready," Heidi says. "Pam and the others will meet us there."

Eric lifts me into his arms. As he holds me, he tells Mustapha and Heidi to go ahead. Before we take flight, he says to me, "I can have Mustapha take you home if you'd prefer. I have vampire business to attend to ….extremely important vampire business. I will understand if you don't want to come with me. We can see each other Monday."

The fact that he has lied to me is already forgotten with that one word; Monday.

"What do you mean Monday? Today is Friday." Suddenly it hits me. They've found her. He wants me to go so that he can be with her. "If you want me to go home then I'll go."

His grip tightens on me. "I don't want that. I don't want to wait that long to see you but it's unavoidable. I would have limited time to be with you. That is the only reason for my offering Mustapha's services. I swear to you. If I don't attend this meeting, it will be longer than Monday before we get to see each other. I would love nothing more than to have you stay with me."

"Okay."

"Okay to what?"

"I'm going with you … on one condition."

He rolls his eyes at me. "What's the condition this time, Sookie?"

"What do you mean this time? There have been no other …"

"We don't have time for this."

"That's the condition. You need to clear up some of the things that you've said to me. Your comments have left me all but a little bit confused."

"Do you want me to keep making the comments?" If he didn't look so serious when he asked me that, I would have thought that he was trying to be funny.

"No, Eric. I want you to tell me about us. I want you to tell me why you've made those comments. I want you to explain why I've said some of the things I've said. You have to know what's going on."

Without hesitation, he says, "Deal. Now wrap your arms around me. I'd hate to drop you when I've ..."

I stick my tongue out at him and I hold on tight, "New Orleans, huh?"

He nods and he takes to the sky.

I guess I'm going to be staying in New Orleans.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Flashback # 5** **Quitting Merlotte's**

**This chapter is another flashback and this is where we get to see how Sookie came to her decision to quit Merlotte's and become the queen of her destination.**

**Thanks to everyone that's read, reviewed, alerted, and favorite-d the story.**

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><p>Here I am working the 11:00 to 6:00 shift at Merlotte's, with the same old customers, with their same old orders and their same old thoughts; some mean and some just plain nasty. It is hard to keep their thoughts from invading my mind since I am preoccupied. I've been in a daze most of the evening and it is because of Eric. It is always because of Eric.<p>

It has been few days since I've talked to him. I told him that I need time to think things through. I need a little time to clear my head, get myself on the right track. I want to make sure that this is best for us, me and Eric. It has been easier to think at home since Claude has gone back to Monroe and Dermot doesn't really bother me too much when he's there. The peace and quiet has given me the time that I need to think about the relationship that Eric and I had and the one that we could have. I think I've made the right decision but when it comes to me and Eric, who knows, right? Our history speaks volumes but this time, I really do believe that I've made the right decision.

I have decided to be with my husband.

I can't wait to tell him that I was wrong and that I should have been happy for him. I should have been happy that we had finally gotten rid of Victor. I should have been happy that we no longer had to look over our shoulders. He, Pam and Bill are safe. I should've been happy that Victor is no longer trying to sabotage Eric's businesses and steal me away from him. Most importantly, Eric is gonna live; well, as much as a vampire can live. I can't wait to tell him that I am going to be with him and only him. I can't wait to tell him that I have decided to sell my house and move in with him. He'll be even happier to know that I am quitting my job at Merlotte's. I think he's going to love that part more than anything else. I think that's going to be best for all involved.

Sam has been treating me horribly since I've been with Eric. One day he'll be my friend and the next day he can't stand to look at me. He would really get mad on the nights that Eric would come to see me after work. Eric was coming around a lot after I'd broken the bond. Eric and I would spend my breaks together. We would laugh and talk and Sam would watch us with hate in his eyes. It had gotten so bad that I asked Eric to meet me outside or either at the house. If we would be in the parking lot, Eric and I, Sam would come out there and lurk. He would come up with some type of excuse for me to get back to work. Sam was keeping tabs on me and it was getting ridiculous. He was always asking me questions about my and Eric's relationship; if I am happy; if I'm safe. I didn't tell Sam about the bond but I did try to explain that Eric is just protective of me. I'm his and he wants to be sure that I'm safe. Sam didn't want to hear it; especially the part about me belonging to Eric.

But today, I am going to tell Sam that I am putting in my notice. It'll be so much easier. It's not feasible for me to drive back and forth from Shreveport to Bon Temps every day. Plus, it's only fair for me to quit my job. If Eric can make sacrifices, then I can too.

"Excuse me, sweetie, can I get my iced tea, please?" the lady asked softly. She has stopped working on her laptop long enough to notice that I have not given her the iced tea that she ordered a few minutes earlier. Actually, I haven't moved.

Shaking myself back into reality, I apologize and then scurry off to get her tea. When I return to her table, I ask if there is anything else that she needs.

"No thank you," she says as she looks at me strangely.

_She is an odd girl; pretty girl. Maybe she's having man troubles._

She gives me an actual smile; a real smile. "I understand. We all zone out sometimes." She makes a loopy look appear on her face. "My boss and my husband make me zone out every chance they get. I think that's the only thing that men are good for."

I smile at her. "Thanks. My mind is working overtime today. Just holler if you need anything."

"Will do," she said.

Since things are now a little slower and not quite as busy as it was earlier, I decide to go to the bar and talk with Kennedy and Holly. They are talking about how things have gone from catastrophic to great here inside of a few months. They talk about how the customers have decided to return to their old stomping grounds now that Vic's is no more.

"For the last couple of months we couldn't pay anyone to come in here but the last few weeks have been great. Business has really picked up since they've closed down Vic's Redneck Roadhouse," Holly said as I lean onto the bar. "I heard that they failed the health inspection or something like that."

"Well, I for one am glad that they did. We needed the business." Kennedy replied.

I want to tell them the real reason why things had picked up; Vic is dead because he's was a jerk. I want to tell them that I was a part of his killing and I am happy about it. I want to tell them that I helped to kill him because he tried to kill me and Pam. He also wanted to kill my husband. He wanted to destroy him and then kill him. I wasn't going to have that. Eric is mine.

"I was scared there for a minute. I'd hate to see Merlotte's shut down. Merlotte's is a big part of Bon Temps," Kennedy continued. "This is where the cream of the crop comes to get drunk." They look out at the patrons and the back at each other. She and Holly erupt with laughter.

"Yeah," was all that I could think to say. They didn't need to know the truth. Vampire business is just that; vampire business. They can continue to believe that the health department shut Vic's down as far as I'm concerned. They'll never learn what really happened from me.

Kennedy leans across the counter and looks at us both. "I wonder what happened to cause the health department to shut 'em down. The food was delicious. They had the best hot wings. Daniel and I went to Vic's one night and the place was jumpin'. They had the best signature nights; karaoke night, hot wings night, and margarita night; my favorite night. They even had an Elvis Presley night. Sam needs to do some things like that. Stuff like that would really keep things interesting around here. Bon Temps is so boring. What's the point of living with vamps, Weres, and shifters and we don't get to see any?"

Before I can say anything, Sam cuts from around the corner and decides to put in his two cents worth.

"I've been thinking about adding few extras. They'd really help out with business," he said as he wipes down the counter. "But I was thinking the same thing Kennedy; you know, about the health department and Vic. It's a mystery to me. I'd love to find out what happened. Wouldn't you Sookie?" he asks accusingly. He begins to look under the bar as if he is looking for something.

Someone once told me that shifters are two-faced creatures. I'm starting to believe that about Sam.

"You haven't heard anything?" he asks me directly.

"No more than you have." I then shrug my shoulders at him. "I figure since you stay out of supe business, you wouldn't really care. Why _do_ you care, Sam?" I give him the evil eye.

He gives it right back. "I don't; just wonderin' is all."

From the sound of his voice, he knows exactly what has happened to Victor. I don't know how Sam knows about everything that happens in the vampire world before and after it has happened but he does. He always knows.

Kennedy notices what Sam has said and how he is eyeballing me. "Whatever the reason is Sam, I would think that you would be happy to have some business back in this place. You can stop ordering that cheap ass liquor and get some happening stuff going on in here. I'll help you out with those ideas so that we drum up more business."

"You got that right," said Catfish Hennessey. "We need somethin' to do in this shit hole other 'n drink. We need another pitcher of beer, Sook." He slaps the counter, winks at me and goes back to his table.

"Be right over Catfish." I laugh as Sam fixes Catfish's beer.

During our chat with Catfish, Sam sneers at us and said for all of us to get back to work. "The customers shouldn't have to come to the bar and place an order for beer when I have waitresses in here. What am I paying you all for if you ain't gone work?" He slides the pitcher of beer my way and waits for an answer.

Another customer grabs the last seat at the bar and places an order. "Can I get a rum and coke?"

"Sure thing sugar," Kennedy answers. Before she left to fill the order, Kennedy places her hand on top of mine. "All bark and no bite. I say if he'd get some pussy he'd be alright. Every dog needs a little pussy sometime. Jannalynne needs to step up her game."

I laugh.

After we get a good laugh at Sam's expense, Holly says, "I don't care what he does to drum up business, just so long as it happens." She walks away to check on her tables.

I look in the direction of Sam when my fellow barmaids walk away.

"Hey Sam," I yelled at him as I snapped my fingers.

"Yeah," he said with a shittier attitude than before.

"You're going to stop talking to me the way that you do. You get me, buddy? You need to keep your attitude to yourself. I'm not going to put with too much more of your shit. Like my Gran used to say, if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your fucking mouth shut," I said as I grab up my pitcher of beer and walk away. She didn't say it exactly like that but he got the jest of what I was saying.

The customers at the bar look at Sam and hide their smiles in their glasses of beer and liquor. Sam stomps off to his office.

The rest of the evening is pretty steady. I get to speak to a few friendly customers and my co-workers. And I didn't have to deal with Sam at all. He stayed in his office; which I am happy about. He looks better in his office; behind a closed door, alone.

As it gets closer to the end of my shift, things start to slow down. Holly, Kennedy, and I decide to talk a little more. We talk about this, that, and anything not too important. Everything was going good until my phone begins to buzz uncontrollably. At about quarter to six, I start to get text messages from Eric. This has been going on since the day after we killed Victor. I guess he wouldn't be so persistent if I'd answer him back. It has been a couple of weeks.

He has Pam, Bubba, and Bill stalking me. I've had to rescind Bill's invitation. I'd wake up in the middle of night and there he'd be sitting at the foot of my bed. I didn't get too mad though. He was just as worried as Eric since I'd broken the bond. But it just got ridiculous when I'd be woken up in the middle of the night from Bill laughing at Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

A couple of nights after the killing I would leave work and there'd be Bubba; hiding behind trees, watching me. I would go outside on my porch for some fresh air and Bubba and Bill would be sitting there. They wouldn't be speaking or anything. They'd just swing. Pam would always call before she showed up but I knew that Eric sent her. She would pretend that we needed to spend some girl time together; get to know each other better. It worked. She's now the best friend I've ever had.

My phone buzzes again.

_'Call me_,' is all that the message states.

To be truthful, that's what each message has been saying for the past few days. I am glad that he is still checking up on me. At least I know that he still loves me enough to do that.

When I look up from my phone, Kennedy and Holly are smiling at me.

"What?" I ask them.

"You look like a neon sign," Holly said. "You are really glowing."

"She's in love," Kennedy said. "Your smiling face says it."

I didn't realize that I was smiling. For the first time in a long time, I do feel happy. "Yes, I am."

"Isn't it great?" Holly asks. One mention of the word love and she is off and running. She starts to talk about her pending nuptials to Hoyt. Her smile is bigger than mine. The smile that is on her face, I know is the same smile that has taken over her heart. I know how she feels.

Buzz.

Eric.

"Can you believe it?" Holly asks excitedly. "We are getting married in a few months. Hoyt is almost as excited as I am. I know that Maxine is." She rolls her eyes after making that comment. Kennedy and I laugh. "She is trying to take over everything. She thought that I was going to roll over and let that happen. Poor old gal; she got her feelings hurt."

We really start laughing then.

"You two are coming right?"

Kennedy stands tall and smiles. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Danny and I will definitely be there."

"Neither would I," I answer. "Though I will be alone, your happiness will keep me on cloud nine for most of the day."

My phone buzzes again.

_'Call me. I am worried_.'

I close my phone and return to my friends.

Holly puts her hand on my shoulder. "The reception's right after the wedding. It's in the evening. He can come when he rises." She is smiling and nodding as if she just happened up on the secret recipe for KFC's extra crispy chicken.

"Are you sure?" I ask her. As far as I know, no human has willingly invited a vampire to a human wedding or anything else for that matter. Portia only invited them to her wedding because of her husband's business dealings. I can't believe that Holly wants Eric to come.

She let her arm drape over my shoulder. "I've never been surer. You're my friend. You love him. I like to see you happy … happy and with a real smile on your face instead of that creepy one." She pretends to shiver. We all laugh.

Buzz.

Eric.

I return Holly's gesture. I never knew that she considered me a friend and it makes me feel good to know that I have a friend that accepted my relationship with Eric. Well, two friends that have accepted my relationship with Eric.

"We will be there; me and Eric."

"Perfect," Holly answered.

Kennedy joins in on the hug. "This is a beautiful sight."

Holly and I ask her in unison, "What?"

"Three women in love," she said. We laugh and talk a little longer.

Before we have a chance to break up the gushing fest, my phone buzzes again.

Holly shakes her head. "Your phone has buzzed every two seconds, Sookie. Will you please call him back? You know that you want to." She walked away with a smile.

"After work," I yell after her.

As I wipe down my last table for the night, Jane Bodehouse asks for a refill on her whiskey.

"Last one," I tell her. She normally sits at the bar but some men have taken over most of the seats. "I'm calling your son after this one."

She looks at me and gives me a smile. "Thanks, Sookie. You've always been a good girl."

I can tell from her thoughts that she is telling the truth. She has always thought highly of me. I smile at her but before I can say anything I look into her eyes. I feel pity for her. She has always been in Bon Temps and she is the loneliest creature I've met in this bar. The people here, her neighbors, her so-called friends, have always treated her like crap. Maybe she should leave Bon Temps. There's bound to be something better out there for her. This isn't it. I want to tell her that there's so much more to her and to this world but I didn't.

There was a time when I would look at Jane and I saw my future. That scared me more than anything; even more than death. I always thought that if I had to live like that, I'd rather die. She never seems to have anything to fill her time other than coming to Merlotte's and drinking. Jane never looks happy and that saddens me. Her happy days seemed to be way behind her …and she didn't care. You can look at her and tell.

She always looks unkempt. Her hair looks like a bee's nest every night. She always has lipstick on her teeth. Her make-up is always thrown on without a care or a thought. She never looks fulfilled or complete. That reminded me of myself; the fake smile and the heartache. Jane's mind is filled with heartache and so much pain. I don't want that to be me.

I reached across the table and place my hand on top of hers. "Thank you Jane. You've always been nice to me. Enjoy your last drink; I'm calling your son now."

She nodded. When I look in her eyes, she says something to me; without speaking. "I'm hurting inside, Sookie. I'm so lonely." Jane lifted the glass to her mouth and cried as she drank.

My heart breaks for Jane Bodehouse. I am going to see what I can do for her. No one should be alone or hurt the way Jane is hurting inside. I walk around the bar and give her a hug.

"It gets better."

She gives me another heartbreaking smile and asks, "When?"

I don't know what to say so I call her son.

Five more minutes and my shift is almost over. With no customers to wait on, I think over my decision to quit. I don't want to leave Kennedy and Holly. Maybe I am hesitant because I'm not sure of how Sam is going to react. Does it matter? And why should I care anyway what he feels? He doesn't care about how he treats me or makes me feel. Why should I give his feelings any consideration? I know why; I consider him a friend.

As I wipe down my tables, I look around at the familiar faces. I think of how they want their drinks and how they want their burgers. I think about their mean thoughts. Most of Bon Temps has been mean to me; just like they were mean to Jane. Gran, Kennedy, Terry, Jane, and Hoyt have always been nice to me. But the rest of them; they probably won't even notice that I'm gone.

Once I am done with cleaning my area, I tell Kennedy and Holly good night. I go to Sam's office to get my purse and keys. He isn't in there. Peace. Since I am off for the next two days, I've decided that I will come in on one of those days and give Sam my notice. It'd be better than having to deal with him on a day that I have to work. That's what I am going to do. Before I have a chance to leave, Sam enters his office.

"I heard about what happened at Fangtasia," Sam said as he sat at his desk. He begins to shuffle through some papers on his desk; pretending to be looking for something in particular. "I'd been waiting for you to tell me about it. I guess you didn't want to since I heard that you were a part of the night's activities."

"No. That's not it. I figured you'd heard already."

Nothing

I got another text from Eric.

_'Call me._'

I shake my head and chuckle.

I text him back, _'After I get off. Have something to tell you. Call you later._'

"He's really checking up on you isn't he?"

I scowl at Sam through the mirror. "You mean you don't already know?"

He scowls back at me. "I hate to tell you what to do Sookie."

I cut him off with a snigger. "You always tell me what to do."

He ignored me. "I hate to tell you what to do, Sookie, but as your friend, I feel that I have the right to look out for you. I only want to be sure that you are safe."

I look at Sam with my eyebrows cocked; "Really?" I ask. "You always want to tell me what to do. You have no rights at all to tell me what to do or who I can see. You've been treating me like shit for the past few days and now you want to be a friend?"

"All I'm saying is that I worry about you. You need to watch yourself with those vampires, Sook. They are going to get you killed. No matter how I try to warn you, you seem to be hell bent on doing the exact opposite of what I tell you to do. What are you going to do about Felipe? You were in on killing his regent." I hear the anger in his voice even though he is trying to keep it even and steady.

"That's none of your business and if you know that I'm not going to listen to you Sam, why are you so hell bent on telling me? I am a grown woman! Let me live my life as I want to. This is my life, Sam. Not yours."

"I'm only looking out for you!"

"Well, I don't need you looking out for me," I said to him as I spin around. "Why are you so concerned with me and Eric anyway? You have Jannalynne. What you need to do is to keep your focus on that relationship and off of mine."

Sam jumps up from his desk. "I am only telling you this for your own good! He's a fucking vampire, Sookie!" In his anger, Sam sweeps several of his papers off of his desk and a few other necessities.

"And you tell me that you are not involved in supe business, Sam, but you always know everything that is going on. Why is that? You know everything that happens with the vamps and the Weres but you proclaim to be so not in everyone else's business. Should I be cautious of you, Sam? Should I be afraid of you?"

He doesn't answer me. I continue to speak.

"Why can't you accept the fact that I love him? I love Eric! You need to get over it."

"They don't know how to love, Sookie! They are fucking predators! They know how to pretend to be what you want them to be and then suck life out of ya! They know how to manipulate you and they know how to use! Do I have to remind you of what Bill did to you? They will be whatever you want them to be so that they can claim you as their own. Eric doesn't love you! He only wants to harness your telepathy for himself." From the look on his face, he regrets saying what he says the second it leaves his mouth.

No matter how hard I try not to cry, the tears fell from my eyes. I sigh and speak softly. "Humans and shifters are users and manipulators too, Sam. They do what they can to hurt you but they always do it in the name of friendship or love. The only difference is that with a vampire, you know what to expect. They don't pretend to be your friends."

I am so tired of Sam hurting me and putting Eric down; putting me down for that matter. Eric has always been good to me. No one sees Eric the way that I do. No one else is willing to see the goodness in him. They don't want to see it. My Eric, the same Eric that lost his memory, is the most loving man I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. My other Eric, the vicious killer, is the same as my sweet, loving, amnesiac Eric. He's protective, and he's my warrior, my lover, my friend.

Sam starts to walk in my direction and I step away from him. "Sook, I'm sorry …"

"I'm quitting Sam. Consider this my two weeks' notice."

Sam stops dead in his tracks. "You can't be serious. You're not even going to give me a chance to apologize?"

No response from me.

"After all that I've done for you!"

My heart drops further. What about all that I've done for him? But I don't respond. I put my purse on my shoulder and leave Sam's office.

"Sookie," he yells after me.

Holly looks at my face as I walk past her. I try to wipe away the tears before she notices but I'm not quick enough. She tries to stop me to see what's wrong. The happiness that she saw earlier, is now gone. I raise my hand to her and shake my head.

She looks at Sam and asks, "What did you do to her?"

I never heard what he said because I am already gone.

As I am backing out of the parking lot, I see Sam standing there watching me drive out of view. I expect to be sad but I smile and cry all the way home. There is so much that I have to do to prepare for my new life.

When I get home, my warrior is sitting on the front porch. I am glad to see him; that is until I drove further up and see his face. He is pissed. I sigh. My smile vanishes. Right now, I'm glad that I can't feel his emotions. I am not in the mood for his shit tonight. The look on his face tells me that he has been in a pissy mood since Victor.

I walk from the back of house and hurriedly wipe the tears from my face. When I get to the front porch, he stands up. "You did not call me."

No hello. I only shake my head.

"What is wrong?" He takes me by my shoulders and lifts my face to his.

"I'm okay."

"You've been crying."

"I'm okay; really." I smile. He loves me.

After he studies my face and realizes that is all that he is going to get, he says it again. "You didn't call me."

"I know."

He takes the keys from me and opens the door.

"Thank you. I was at work and that means that I was busy. I told you that I would call you later. Obviously, you couldn't wait. You're here." As we walk inside I ask, "What is it?"

"You did not call me." That time he said it with a little more force.

I look at him as I throw my purse on the couch. "I was at work, Eric and I was busy."

"Are you angry?"

"No," I said without hesitation. "I'm not mad." I walk to my room with my vampire behind me. I kick off my shoes and begin to undress. "I'll tell you what I am though. I'm tired. I just want to relax. I don't want to argue with you." I kiss him as I begin taking off my uniform. Without caring at all, I throw my clothes on the floor. "I just want to take a long hot shower and relax."

He just stands there and looks at me. "You're leaving me."

"Eric," I said as I sigh. "I am …"

"If you had only rejoiced with me in victory, we would not be having this problem. You are being a very hypocritical woman. It was your plan and now you are upset that your plan was a success. You should be happy for me." He looks at me with a matter-of-fact expression on his face.

I stand in the middle of my bedroom floor with my mouth wide open. No bra, just panties; I had my hands at my side. Here I was, all night long, agonizing about quitting my job, realizing that I love this stubborn ass man more than anything in this world and this is the shit that he brings to me tonight? I had planned to tell him that I was wrong. Well, he's fucked that up. I am happy that I have made this decision for us. I was almost in a frenzy and then I stop and think that I am not going to argue with him. I am going to relax and I am not going react to his comments. I know that if I respond to him that my emotions will get the best of me. I'll say things; we'd both say things that we can't take back. We can't move forward like that. We each need some time to ourselves. So, I do the next best thing.

I close my mouth and my eyes. I inhale and release the anger from inside of me. I look up at him and smile. I kiss him softly and say, "Eric, I'm doing this for us." I then put my hand on his face. "I rescind your invitation."

Now it is his turn to look surprised. As he walks backwards out of the house, he starts to yell. "I am your husband! You cannot do this! We are no longer bonded! How am I supposed to protect you if you rescind my invitation? How am I to get to you if you need me?"

When he is on the porch, I wave good night and close the door in his handsome face. I hear a couple of very loud crashes. I throw the door open and Eric has uprooted a couple of the trees in my front yard. He looks at me and he is even madder than before. A couple of the branches are crumbled at his feet.

I yell, "You'd better clean that up, Eric Northman!"

He looks at me and takes to the sky.

I step onto the porch and yell after him, "Those trees had better be gone in the morning and dammit I mean it!"

The trees were gone the next morning.


	19. Chapter 19

**I Remember You**

**Flashback #6**

**Their first, first date**

**Chapter 19**

**The last chapter was set a few days after the killing of Victor Madden. This was during Sookie's time of soul searching. I wanted you all to see why she decided to quit her job. Remember to read the title so that you will know when it's a flashback. I will have at the very top in bold, black letters; FLASHBACK.**

**This chapter is going to begin at the end of Eric and Sookie's first date and her last day at Merlotte's. I didn't go into too much detail about the dinner and the waterfall because it's similar to their first date after she'd forgotten her memory.**

**I want thank you for your reviews and your time. I want to thank you all for alerting and making the story a favorite.**

* * *

><p>While Eric's arms envelope me, I look into his eyes and my mind carries me back to how we were finally able to reach this point in our lives. We have really fought to get to where we are; everyone else and each other; especially each other. I've sold my home. I've quit my job. I've done them both with no regrets. Tomorrow's my last day at Merlotte's and the beginning of our new life. Soon, I will be Eric's wife in my world as well as his. We will be living as husband and wife ... in the same house. We will fight as husband and wife ... in the same house. I have never been happier. We're going to always be happy; well except for tonight's little argument. Tonight was just a little setback. We all have little setbacks, right?<p>

I gently kiss his lips as we hold each other in the back of the limo. "I had fun tonight."

With his eyes closed, he asks, "Did you, now?" He put his hands on either side of my face and returns my kisses.

I nod. In between kisses, I say, "You know that I don't mean to be difficult. I love you too much and it scares me. It's a wonderful and helpless feeling; loving you. I've never needed anyone as much as I need you." I brush my lips back and forth across his. "You know that I love you."

With a smile, he says, "Yes, you do and I know."

I'm not difficult; I'm just headstrong so I'll ignore that first remark. "Do you forgive me?" I give him little pecks all over his face.

He shrugs his shoulders as he lets me kiss him; smiling.

I giggle. "I can be a bit much sometimes."

"Yes you can." The smile never leaves his handsome face.

I smile and wrap my arms around his neck. "That's why you love me so much, isn't it?" I sit back and look at him.

Suddenly, there is so much lust in his eyes and in the bond; chills replace every feeling that I am having. To prove to him that I am sorry for being such a pain, I lick his lips and taste his tongue. "Come on baby; tell me that you forgive me."

With his cool hands underneath my dress and massaging my back, he says to me that he'll forgive me if I'll be quiet. "If you keep talking you know that things are going to be ... bad. Just be quiet. You talk too much, lover," he said into my mouth. Eric's taste is flowing through my entire body; my mouth, my mind, my soul. Every part of me screams his name.

"I'm sorry about your hand," I said into his mouth.

I didn't know that he would punch the wall of the alcove. I knew that I said that I wouldn't mention Felipe or Sandy but they were the elephants in the room. I know that I promised not to mention them but they could end us. It was hard for me to relax knowing what awaits us. I said as much. Eric got a little upset and punched the rocky wall. Really? I mean I can understand why he was upset but punching the rocky wall; I have to say that was little over the top even for Eric.

I guess.

I know.

It was my fault.

I look at him as he steals his mouth from me. He tucks my hair behind my ear and looks deeply into my eyes. He gives me one of the sexiest smiles I've ever seen. "You are so beautiful."

I guess he's decided to forget about the entire incident from earlier tonight in the alcove. Being the obedient wife that I am striving to be, I have no choice but to follow his lead.

He sensuously claims my mouth once again. He breaks the kiss so that he can get my pesky dress out of the way. He smiles as my breasts fell from the dress. My nipples are just inches from his waiting mouth; his warm breaths making them reach for his mouth on their own. They don't have to reach very far.

When he kisses the twin peaks, I move my hips against his hardness. He groans as he pushes the girls together; kissing and nibbling at them. I throw my head back in ecstasy. As I move against him, he tugs at the waistband of my panties and poof, they are gone. His nostrils flare as the scent that he said is so sweet, saturates the air.

"You smell so sweet," he growls against my lips before plunging his tongue into my mouth and working his hand in between us; slowly working his fingers inside of me. My hips keep up with the movements of his fingers and the sexy words flowing from his beautiful mouth. Over and over he calls me his 'only lover'. The more I move on his fingers, the deeper he'd thrust them inside of me.

I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck as I made love to his fingers. I bit my lip and said his name over and over again.

"Look at me Sookie."

Since I am doing the best that I can be the obedient wife, I did as my husband asks.

"Cum for me, Sookie," he said and then he does it; he kisses my ear.

No problem. I feel my hootchie tightening around his fingers as I reach my moment. As I continue to cum, he gently lays me back onto the seat with his fingers still inside of me. As he leans over me, I rip his shirt open; buttons bouncing off of the partition that separates our activities from Mustapha's eyes and ears. Oh my; Eric's chest, the most beautifully muscular chest I've ever seen, is finally displayed in front of me. I let my fingers trace over every inch of it. I sit up enough to let my tongue flicker over his nipples. He moans and closes his eyes as I please him with only the tip of my tongue.

"You're perfect," I said to him. Before he knows what's happening, he is underneath me. He looks surprised. I shrug my shoulders. "One of the advantages of having so much of your blood, I guess."

I begin to remove his pants so that I can do as I want. He lifts his sweet ass so that I can pull his pants down. Sticking my finger in the waistband of his underwear, I remove them with one quick tug. My heart is beating faster as his GP springs free. I place his greatness in between the lips of my hootchie, not letting him enter me; smearing my juices on him as I look down at him. I move my fingertips slowly up the center of my body and around the outline of my breasts. His eyes never leave my face.

"You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen," he said to me. His GP is getting wetter by the millisecond.

I remove the clip from my hair and it falls over my shoulders. I lick the tips of my thumbs and forefingers as I roll my nipples between them. His eyes follow the circular motions of my fingers. He is mesmerized with the show that I am putting on for him.

"Do you like it?" I ask.

He nods with the enthusiasm of a virgin; nodding and not speaking, looking as if he is on the verge of reaching his release.

"Eric," I said as I lean close to his ear; kissing on his earlobe.

He answers with a hoarse yes and a gulp that is loud enough for all to hear.

"I'm not going to be gentle."

He drops his fangs.

Now that I have him in my clutches, I know that I will never let him go; ever. He is mine as much as I was his.

"I love you so much." I want as much of his as I can get. I keep moving my hootchie over his GP; still not letting him enter me. I don't know how I'd survived so long without him. I don't want to ever remember what life was life without him. He is everything.

"Mine," he said in my ear.

"Yours," I said in his. I follow up with a quick bite.

Why did I do that? Without even realizing it, he has me pressed against the backseat; the seat belts are being used to keep me in place. My wrists are tied down; my legs are spread open as wide as he can get them.

He kneels in between my legs and looks up at me, "Sookie?"

I know that if I speak, the words are going to be shakier than I've ever known. "Yeah," I whisper.

"I'm not going to be gentle."

I say nothing but it's what I want. I don't want him to be gentle. I want him to claim me.

"You're a bad girl." Next thing I know, his tongue lightly tastes my folds.

I throw my head back in complete ecstasy. His tongue has always worked miracles but the fact that I can't touch him or guide his head is torture for me. I want to run my fingers through his hair as he makes love to me with his tongue and his mouth. I arch myself up to reach his mouth but he uses his arm to keep me seated. No matter how much I try to fight my way out of his grip, nothing works and I am slowly losing this battle and I don't like it. At that moment, I realize what the seat belt restraints are for.

"Eric," I cry out.

He is killing me. He keeps avoiding my throbbing parts. Why is he teasing me with his mouth; encasing my nub with his lips and not letting his tongue touch it in the slightest? He meant it when he said that he wasn't going to be gentle. He keeps building up my expectations and then he'll stop. He looks at me with an evil smirk on his face. He is enjoying the pain that he is putting me through. He feels my discomfort and he likes it. The vampire in him is enjoying this way too much.

"Why are you being so cruel?" I whimper. I feel as if I am on the verge of tears.

He looks at me viciously, taking his mouth away from my wetness; running his fingers gently over the lips of my hootchie. He is close enough to almost kiss me but he doesn't. I can smell my scent on his mouth.

"Did you not hear me say that I am not going to be gentle?" His lips brush my own ever so slightly.

I fear that if I speak, I'm going to burst into tears of frustration.

He must have taken pity on me because without warning he is gone again. He plunges his tongue inside of me. He finally takes my swollen and throbbing nub into his mouth. He starts to roll his tongue over it and I have never felt so relaxed in my life. He helps me to relax even more by using his fingers. Because I am shivering and shaking, he uses his arm once again to hold me in place. Tears of ecstasy finally fall from my eyes.

"What do you want Sookie?" he asks me.

"You; I've always wanted you." My pleading eyes spoke volumes and works magic.

Because he can't stand up to his full height, he kneels in front of me on the seat in between my legs and he looks down at me. He has his hand wrapped around the GP as he looks at me. He knows that I like to see him stroking himself and he is doing it right in my face. I lick my lips as I watch him. He grazes the GP across my lips as soon as I put my tongue back in my mouth. He is not going to be gentle.

"Do you want me?"

"You know that I do."

"Say it."

Barely able to speak above a whisper, I do as he tells me. "I want you."

He is the exact height for his hardness to go into my mouth. He presses his hand against my forehead gently. He will not allow me to move. He is in control. He grazes it across my lips once more. When he sees the tortured look on my face, he takes a little pity on me. He gives me a little bit at a time. The head with the little pink pearl of sweetness on the tip is what I want. He is smiling down at me; evil smirk. It is beginning to piss me off. Not knowing how I did it, the seat belts are soon gone from my ankles and my wrists. I guess that vampire blood is really taking effect. My hands are now gripping the most beautiful ass I've ever seen. The GP is fully in my mouth. Fortunately, he is still kneeled before me.

My lips wrap beautifully around him. My tongue curls around the shaft and when I let his cock hit the back of my throat, his entire body relaxes. He slides further into my mouth and my lips are settling nicely at the very base of his GP.

I begin to slowly ease my way back up before returning my mouth to its previous position. I quickly take all of him in and slowly make my way to the head of the most beautiful member I've ever seen. I do this over and over again until his knees are weak. He has to hold himself up by resting his hands on the back of the seat.

My name escapes his mouth in the softest of whimpers. "Sookie, I want to make love to you." His accent is so strong now; anger and ecstasy makes his accent more pronounced. I love it.

Slowly letting him fall from my mouth, he turns around so that I can straddle him. His firm hands grip my bottom and my legs wrap around him as his back is leaning against the leather seat. I never know what it is like to love someone until Eric. I fit perfectly in his arms and he in mine. He fills me completely. I wrap around him perfectly.

"We fit," I moan into his ear as I move on top of him. "We were made for each other."

Matching my movement with gentle thrusts, he said what he said to me the first time that we made love. "Perfect."

Sex has always been perfect with Eric but tonight for some reason, it has never felt so good before. It's the most perfect feeling in the world. It feels as if he's my heartbeat. "I could never live without you." I said that more to myself than to him.

Our kiss deepens as our bodies move in unison. The moans that left our mouths are the sweetest sounds I've ever heard. The closer we come to reaching our moment, we hold each other tighter. I feel that if I don't hold on to him, I am going to float away. The sweat of my body is covering us both.

Just as I feel my hootchie start to tighten on him, he whispers in my ear, "I love you." I prepare for his bite but he doesn't bite me yet. "I love you," he said once again.

Those three words sent me over the edge. I roll my head to the side, thinking that he would want to feed from me but he doesn't. He buries his face in my neck and kisses me. He holds me firmly down on his manhood as he fills me with his essence. Once we return to the here and now, we hold each other in silence.

While my sweaty head is lying on his shoulder, he kisses my nose. "You're a lightweight."

I settle into his arms and ask, "What do you mean?"

His voice goes up an octave as he imitates me. "_I'm not going to be gentle_. Do you remember that?"

"I did that for your benefit. With you being so old and all." I giggle as I close my eyes and relish this time with him.

"You are such a liar," he said as he strokes my back.

Eric lays us down so that we are facing each other. We did what we've done since our friendship started. We share. We talk about our wedding, my stuff that's packed up in the garage. We ignore the elephants from the waterfall. I want to talk about them but I don't want to ruin this moment. Not twice in one night. This is our time. He planned this night for us so that we could have one night free of our tyrants. He wanted me to have our first date free without fear or worry.

But I am scared and I am worried. Even after all he's done for me tonight there is no way I can get Freyda and Felipe off of my name. I do my best to keep the concern off my face and I put all of my concentration on how happy he has made me; the dinner, the dancing, the waterfall, the lovemaking, the conversation.

As I rest my hand on his chest, I wish that I could read his mind. I only want a sign so that I can know that he is feeling as I am. I can't tell by looking into his eyes. All that I can do is keep smiling and talking even though I am trembling inside. Finally, I get the sign that I am looking for; he holds me closer to him … and just like Eric, he doesn't say a word about it. He's letting me be afraid and he's just as always, he's taking care of me.

As we are relaxing and holding one another, Mustapha's voice comes over the intercom, "We are fifteen minutes from your home."

Eric sits up a little and kisses me. "I can bathe you tonight."

I sit up and look into those sexy eyes and shake my head no. "Not tonight, buddy." I look around the backseat for my dress and ripped panties. I shove the former panties into my purse and slip on my dress. "No more Sookie Nookie until we get married."

He sits up hurriedly and looks at me as I put on my shoes. "You are serious?"

I look at him with my eyebrows cocked and I nod. "Yeah, I am. We're going to do this right. We've done everything completely backwards. We got married before we started dating. We started sleeping together before we started dating. This is going to be done right."

Eric silently puts on his pants and his button-less shirt. I can feel his distaste for what I've just told him. He looks at me over his shoulder as he slides on his boots; he has something to say but doesn't say it. Once he is dressed, he sits back and pulls me to his side; not saying a word. The rest of the ride home is silent. We kiss and smile. We hold each but we don't speak. It feels good to pretend that we don't have a care in the world when it is weighing heavily on our shoulders. Just to be able to pretend for a little while made me happy. It's sad and delusional happiness but it is ours.

We didn't realize that we are at home until Mustapha opens the car door. As I am getting out of the car, Mustapha offers me his hand. "I hope that tonight was to your liking?"

Not too long ago, I thought that he didn't like me. I guess I was wrong. I put my hand to my chest and say, "This was the best night of my life. Thank you. Have a good night."

"You as well, Mrs. Northman," he said.

I put my hand in his as I step from the car. Behind me is my dear sweet husband. He and Mustapha don't speak any pleasantries. They nod at each other and that is that.

By the time Eric and I make it up to my bedroom, it is three o'clock in the morning. He is being a gentleman by walking me to my door. I appreciate it because I can barely keep my eyes open. After the night that we've had, I'm lucky to have been able to walk to the room. I stand in the doorway as to block Eric's way in. I know that if he really wanted to get in all he had to do is move me out of the way but he just stood there; looking down at me with those puppy dog eyes.

"I guess we won't be sleeping together for a couple of months." He said that as if _he_ had to say it aloud in order for it to be true.

"You can wait, right?" I move in close to him and kiss him … and bite his lip just a little, drinking the blood that dribbles into my mouth.

He pulls me into him. His massive hands grab my bottom and force his GP against me. He then grinds his GP against me. "I can wait." He returns my teasing kiss. He is a lot better at it than I am. I almost melt into a puddle at his feet. "See, both of us can be unfair."

I step away from him in order to catch my breath. He steps towards me. "Good night, Eric," I said as I place my hand on the door. "I have to get up in the morning and go to work; my last day, ya know?"

Eric doesn't care in the least. The look in his eyes tells me that if I don't go to bed right now, an amorous vampire is going to have his way with me. And knowing me, I would have let him.

"Sookie," he said.

"Night; I love you." I say it as fast as I can and close the door. I hear a painful wince coming from the other side. I hope that the door hadn't hit him in the face. When I turn in the direction of the empty bed, I know what I am in for; these are going to be the longest two months of my life.

When I wake up this morning, I am not well rested at all. All night long, I tossed and turned. I threw my arm over the lone pillow and that made things even worse. I just know that I am going to be in a funky and sour mood all day long. I just know it. I went to bed without Eric but fell asleep with Felipe, Freyda, and Sandy on my mind. They are not going to ruin this for us. This is the day of a new beginning for me and Eric. I want to leave my life behind but on a good note. I want everything to be great. I even try to pep myself up with a smile as I went to the bathroom to take my shower.

As I step into the shower, I lean my head against the wall as the water beats down on my back. The hot water feels good. Gran always said that a hot shower works wonders. Well, wonders aren't workin' this morning. The hot water does nothing to wash away my sour mood.

Washing my hair doesn't work. Painting my nails don't work. Nothing is working and it is making me feel even worse. Once I've lotioned myself down, I put on my Merlotte's t-shirt and shorts and a little bit of makeup. I brush my teeth and give myself the once over. I look nice, I guess but no matter what I do, I can't get Felipe, Freyda, and Sandy off of my mind. What if Felipe goes back on his word? What if they kill Eric? What will I do?

I look in the mirror and shake my head no. "That is not going to happen. We did what we had to do. It was either Victor or us. It had to be Victor. I will not lose him. We plan on being together forever and that is exactly what we're going to do."

I am not going to think about that. I need coffee. Coffee usually makes me feel better. It almost worked but not quite; maybe some bacon and eggs with a side of toast. That didn't work either. I'd come to the conclusion that noting was going to change my mood. So with my coffee meter filled and my breakfast eaten, I am ready for that long ride to Merlotte's.

When I get my purse and keys, I stand in the middle of the kitchen floor looking lost. I'm ready to go to work but there's something missing. I check my purse, my pockets. I look at my reflection in the toaster and everything looks normal. I've washed my face and brushed my teeth. My hair is done. I almost panic because I don't know what's missing. What in the world is …?

Eric.

I hurriedly go to our bedroom and there he is; sleeping the sleep of the dead and he is butt naked. I walk over to the bed and I lay down beside him; just for a minute. I put my arms around him and I squeeze. I don't want to not sleep with him. We can sleep together and not have sex. We are adults. We can control our carnal urges. We shouldn't have to sleep in separate rooms and we're not. I lay there with him for an extra five minutes before making myself get up. I suddenly feel so much better. My mood has picked up considerably. Being with Eric is all I needed. He's all I'll ever need.

I lean over and kiss Eric good-bye and I send him my love.

His eyes come open and he's smiling. "I love you." They are closed before I have a chance to respond. I get back in bed and I hug him. I kiss him once more before I take my happy ass back upstairs.

When I am backing out of the garage, I look at our home. Tonight we start our lives together as an official couple. At six o'clock p.m. tonight, my entire life is going to change. I've never been happier. No one is gonna take this away from us. We more than deserve this.

My last shift at Merlotte's is just that; my last shift. When I walk through the doors, I see what I've always seen; the bar and the customers. There was no hoopla. There was no banner that read, _'Good Luck Sookie'_. There was no farewell party. There was no farewell cupcake with an old ball and chain stuck in it. There was nothing; just a green apron and my order pad with the chewed pencil. There is but one thing left for me to do; go take some orders.

Catfish and some other regulars asked me where I've been. They aren't used to not seeing me here. I told them that I needed a little time off because I was moved. What I didn't tell them was that Sam took me off of the schedule. When I put my notice in two Fridays ago, he hadn't put me back on the schedule until it equaled up to my last day. Anyway, they congratulate me on my move and wish me the best.

As I move on from table to table, a few of other customers found out that I am leaving and that tonight is my last night. They tell me good-bye, farewell, and good luck. I get a few good wishes on my future plans. I even get a few congratulations on my pending marriage. Jason and Michele seem to have spread the word. I'd also told Kennedy and Holly that Eric and I are getting married when I saw them at the Stop 'n Shop. They, too, took it upon themselves to spread the word. Some of the older customers wished me well but their minds said different. The true good wishes are from the younger female customers that I have never spoken with, even in passing.

When they found out who I was marrying, you should've seen the expressions on their faces. Some of the young women even ask if I'm marrying the big, sexy blond vampire from Fangtasia and though, they've never spoken to me, they ask for an invitation.

With my fake smile in place, I answer their question and with pride. "Yes, he is mine. We don't exactly know when we're getting married but, we'll see." I have no intentions of inviting any of them to my wedding; lusting after my husband, disrespectful bitches.

As I listen to them, I think to myself that most of these young girls have never said so much as a kind word to me. They always talked about my how good my hair looks and how nice they thought my shape is. I was pretty even but strange. They'd even wondered how I attracted so much attention from the supes but they never went out their way to carry on a conversation with me. They never bothered with trying to get to know me. I was nothing more than a waitress that was supposed to bring them their fried pickles and iced tea. Now that they know that Eric is mine, they want to be my friends? That is never going to happen.

After they tell me that I am lucky to be marrying him, one guy gives me a compliment by saying that Eric is the lucky one for which I thank him.

The rest of the night is pretty much a blur. Every now and again a patron would yell for a pitcher of beer or some fried pickles. Sam pretty much avoided me all night. If I was going this way, he'd go that way. If he wanted me to do anything, he'd send me a message by the new girl.

Her name is Keisha. She is the one that is taking my place. She's pretty good and she's very friendly. She has a beautiful smile. And the fact that she has a killer body doesn't hurt either. There aren't many black girls that live in town. From the minds of some of these rednecks, she is just what they need around here. She's going to get some great tips. If she keeps wearing tight shorts and t-shirts, she may even get a couple of paychecks to go along with those tips.

Anyway, Keisha and I talked for a few minutes here and there but because we are busy we didn't get to talk too much. But when we do get to chat, she tells me that she has some experience as a waitress. She used to wait tables at some hip restaurant in New York. She never got to tell me why she moved here. From what I could see in her mind, it was pretty bad. She had no choice but to run and to run here. She figures that they'll never find her here. I hope that she's right. Anyway, at least she is able to get a job.

Even though Sam isn't speaking to me, I am glad that business has picked up. I am especially glad for Kennedy, Holly and Terry. They still have a job and Sam still has his bar. He loves this bar. For a minute there I was scared that he was going to have to shut it down. Business was that bad. We thought that business fell off because he's a shifter. Thankfully, we were wrong. He is still seen as a member of Bon Temps regardless of what his nature is. I guess Victor's death worked out for Eric and Sam. I wished that he could see that what we did benefited everyone involved; including himself. But Sam is hell bent on pointing out the bad in Eric.

Once it slows down a little, I begin to wipe down my tables. From the corner of my eye, I see Terry Bellefleur carrying a pink box. "Here; this is for you Sookie." He suddenly shoves the box at me.

I look at his hand in surprise and then back up at him. "You didn't have to get me anything Terry."

He fans off my comment as if there is a fly buzzing around his head. "You're talking crazy, Sookie. You've always been good to me. This is my way of saying thank you."

For the first time since I've known Terry, a smile reaches his eyes and I get to see a glimpse of the handsome man that he truly is. Before the killings, before the scars, and the nightmares, I see the young man whose eyes used to hold onto so much hope; the hope that he believes had abandoned him so long ago. There is still a flicker right behind those sad and battered eyes. Out of curiosity, I drop my shields. My heart stops dead.

He has hope now because of me. I begin to cry. He looks surprised. He's thinking that the tears are for the gift. His private thought that I've given him hope is my true gift. I put the gift on the table and I hug and kiss him. There is nothing to say.

As I hug Terry, I can hear the thoughts of the meanies as I hug one of my dearest friends. Their thoughts didn't matter. They aren't my concern. He is my friend and contrary to what they believe, Eric would never hurt Terry. They don't know that Terry is my protector and my friend and that is because of Eric and Niall.

After I step back from him, he is still smiling. "You smell like happiness today, Sookie. My grandmaw always said that happiness has a special scent. I remember one time I asked her what it was. She said that it smells like gingerbread men. Today, that smells like you." His smile deepens. "I hope you like it." He points at the gift.

Slowly I lifted the lid from the box. My free hand goes to my mouth. It is a picture of us when I'd first started dating Bill. I begin to sit where there is no seat. Terry pulls the chair out for me so that I won't hit the floor. Lafayette, Big John, Dawn, Holly, Danielle, Terry, me, Sam, Arlene, Bill, Jason, Hoyt, and Tara; the middle tables are centered in the middle of the bar so that we could all sit together. I can see that night as if it's happening all over again.

It was Lafayette's birthday. There was laughing and talking from everyone. Sam had set up his camera and we'd all posed for the picture. Just before the timer went off, Arlene used her finger and dragged it through the icing and she smeared it on Lafayette's nose. They looked at each other and laughed. This was the best picture, well, it was the only picture that we'd ever taken together and we were actually having a good time. Sam said that he would keep this picture forever. Bill's arm was around my waist and Sam's was draped over my shoulder. You could only imagine the look on Bill's face. Tears began to fall from my eyes.

I said, "Thank you so much Terry," with as much volume as I could muster up. The smiles and the memories in this picture; I remember that it is a good night.

"I had a copy made for you. I figured with the way Sam has been treatin' ya that you may not come around so much." With his head, he points in the direction of the picture. "That was a good night, wasn't it?" he asks.

"My thoughts exactly," I said. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. I knew that you'd like it. You're sentimental like me. Well Sookie, I have to get back to work. You take care now." Terry meekly kisses my cheek before he walks back to the kitchen.

When he's gone, I return my attentions back to the faces in the picture. The smiles are priceless. I trace my finger over the faces as I remember. Lafayette was the happiest I'd ever seen him. No was talking about him being gay or black. They were accepting him and he was pleased. Three weeks later, he was dead. Dawn was hanging on Jason's arm laughing at whatever he'd whispered in her ear. Renee' killed her because she had sex with vampires. Even Arlene was smiling at Bill. Now she's in prison (I think) for trying to kill me. Bill; he was my dark knight, my first everything.

I sigh as I shake my head no. I only want to see the smiles from that night. As far as I'm concerned, the rest of it never happened. There was no murder, no deception. There was only happiness.

The picture makes the need for the hoopla, null and void. I don't need the _'Good Luck Sookie_' banner. I don't need the farewell party and I don't need the cupcake with the old ball and chain baked in it. This is the only hoopla I need.

When I look up, I see that Sam is at the bar with Keisha. I take that opportunity to go into his office and put my picture in my purse. After that, the rest of my night is easy peasy.

After about an hour, I look at my watch and it is almost time for my shift to end. Fifteen more minutes and my career as a barmaid is over. I wipe, I sweep, and I fill up the last of the salt and pepper shakers. After my last basket of fried pickles is served and my last pitcher of Bud Light is filled, I take off my apron and put my chewed pencil on top of my order pad for the last time. I look around the bar that I've worked in all of my adult life and smile. It's over. It's finally over. I look at my watch and it is now six o'clock. It's time for me to go home. Eric should be up when I get there.

My walk to Sam's office isn't quite short enough. I can't wait to go home. My last shift and it is just that; my last shift. It can't get any better than this. This is my new beginning. There is no turning back.

"Time to go," I said to myself.

When I go into Sam's office to get my things, I found him sitting at his desk. It's as if he's waiting on me. He doesn't speak. He doesn't say a word. He just watches me as I take my things from the desk drawer.

When I walk in the direction of the door, he calls out to me. "Sookie, wait. I have something for you."

I inhale a sigh of relief. He is happy that I was moving on with my life. He understands why I had to quit. He understands that I love Eric. Sam _is_ my friend. I turn around and look at him. A smile spreads across my face. He is going to miss me. He has an envelope in his hand as he walks towards me. He does care that I'm leaving.

"This is for you."

The smile gets wider as I open it. "You didn't have to ..."

When I open it, it's not what I expect. It's the money that I loaned him. The gift that my so called friend is giving me is the money that I loaned him. I look from the envelope to him.

"Business has been good. I'm able to pay you back sooner than planned. I really appreciated it," he said. "You helped me out a lot." He sat on the corner of his desk and smiled.

I put the envelope in my purse underneath the picture. "Yeah, no problem," I answered. After I close my purse, I look at Sam and tell him it's been a great eight years. "I appreciate all that you've done for me Sam. You take care of yourself."

Not even a card after all of these years.

No macaroni art or anything.

"Why are you doing this Sookie?" he asked.

I look at him strangely. "Doing what, Sam? Living for me? Doing what makes me happy? What is wrong with me moving on, Sam? What is wrong with me wanting ... no _needing_ to be happy? Does everyone else deserve to be happy but me? I have never told you that you shouldn't been with Jannalynne. Why is it okay for me to stay out there on that dead end road all alone? Why can't I fall in love? Even if it is a vampire that I've fallen in love with, what is so terrible about me falling in love?"

"Is that what this is all about …Jannalynne? Are you jealous of her?" He moves closer to me. "I will leave her for you. I have always loved you, Sookie. Just say the word; just say the word and Jannalynne is out of my life for good … forever. I would do that for you. I've always loved you."

I must have had a confused look on my face because he steps away from me. "It's not about you. It's definitely not about Jannalynne. I love you, Sam, but not in that way. I'm in love Eric." I throw my arms out by my side. "I love him."

Sam grabs me by my shoulders. "They are making you do this, aren't they? They've always had control over you! Since the day Bill Compton walked into my fucking bar, they've had you. And now you can't get away, can you? You are in danger for killing Victor! I know that you and Eric are going to be punished." As he pointed in the direction of the door, he said, "Every supe in Bon Temps knows that you two are in trouble. There is but solution. You can run away, Sookie and never look back! Take that money and leave!"

"Is that why you paid me back?" Holding up the envelope, I look at Sam with wide eyes. "You think that giving me this money is going to make me leave Eric behind? If that's what you think, Sam, you need to think again."

He looks at me as if he can't believe what I am saying. "You can get away!"

I shake my head and calmly say, "I'm not leaving him."

"Why are you so stupid, Sookie?" he asks me; his grip getting tighter on my arms.

"Don't you get it, Sam? I love him." My anger is rising. "Look at my face, Sam. Look into my eyes. He doesn't make me do anything against my will. I can't be glamored. I'm bonded to him by blood because that is what _**I**_ want."

Sam's aura instantly changes. I can't just hear his thoughts but I can see images and colors. Sam's colors are the fiercest of reds and the darkest of blacks; anger and death. He is gripping my shoulders harder and he is shaking me. For the first time in my life, I am afraid of Sam. I begin to try to and get out of his grip.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Sookie? It must be true. You _are_ as crazy as they say! You'd have to be to run off with a fucking blood sucker!" he screams in my face.

"Let go of me Sam," I yell. I stomp his foot and I try to shake loose but he is holding me too tight. I give a blood curdling scream as I yell at him. "You are hurting me!"

The scream brings Sam back to his senses. He looks at his hands and my arms. He finally looks at me. "Sookie, I'm ..."

"Fuck you, Sam Merlotte." I turn to leave but Sam grabs me again. At that moment, Terry bursts into the room.

"What's going on in here?" he asks. He looks from me to Sam. He notices the look of fear on my face. "Are you okay Sookie?" His fists are clinched at his side.

Shaking loose from Sam, I wipe my eyes. He looks at Sam as if he could kill him. Sam looks away ashamed.

"I'm fine," I finally answer.

I grab my purse and step away from Sam and in the direction of Terry. "You can go on. I'm leaving now."

He stands there for a minute. "I'll be right out there if you need me; you hearing me, Sam Merlotte? I'll be right out there."

"Kay," I answer.

Sam doesn't speak.

When Terry leaves, Sam reaches for me once again. "Don't you dare touch me!" I yell in Sam's face.

"Please, Sookie let me explain. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ..."

Just then, a gust of wind shuffles the papers on Sam's desk. There he is; my Viking, my hero, my fabulous and fantastically handsome warrior. He is in front me so fast that I never see him move. He has Sam by his throat.

"You didn't mean to what shifter?" My warrior's accent is strong and sexy. His fangs have descended; he is really pissed off. "Hurt her? Scare her? Insult her? Did you not think that I would come? Did you not think that I would feel her fear? She is my wife, Sam Merlotte." With each word, Eric's grip tightens.

Sam's face begins to turn an ugly shade of blue. Stuff starts to foam from his mouth. He is dying. No matter how bad I may want Eric to beat him up, I don't want Sam to die.

"Eric, please. Don't." My fear and sadness flood the bond.

Eric turns to look at me and forces out my emotions with his own; anger and revenge. "No!" he growls.

"Please."

His doesn't let go. "Why should I?" he asks with his lips formed in a sneer and his fangs bared; ready to attack.

"Because I want you to; please."

Just then Kenya is at the door with Terry right on her heels. "Sam was attacking her. Eric came to protect her."

Eric drops Sam on the floor. When Sam lands, it was like a load of dirty laundry had hit the floor. Eric looks down at Sam. With his voice as menacing as ever, he says, "If you ever put our hands on her again, not even Sookie will save you. I will kill you."

Kenya asks, "Is that right, Sookie? Did Sam attack you?"

Eric turns to face me and I wrap my arms as tight as I can around him. I nod my answer to her question.

"Do you want to press charges?"

I shake my head no. "Today's my last day. I won't be back. I just want to go home."

Sam looks at me with a sad look on his face. He speaks to me in my mind and apologizes over and over again. My shields go up. Sam's voice is instantly silences in my mind. I bury my head into Eric's chest.

"I'll take you," Kenya offers.

"I live in Shreveport now. My husband will take me home."

Kenya looks surprised when I say _'my husband'_. She then nods her head.

Eric lifts me into arms and I lean my head onto his shoulder. I look at Sam as he lies on the floor. I drop my shields. He is crying. Not because Eric choked the hell out of him but for me. He is crying for the lost friendship and because he knows that he'll never see me again. I close my eyes and hide my face in Eric's shoulder. Kenya and Terry step aside as we leave. They both wish us well.

When we are outside, Eric puts me down and pulls up the sleeves to my shirt and to inspect my arms. There are bruises. They are fading but they are there just the same. Eric is filled with anger once again. A ferocious growl builds inside of him.

Trying to make light of the situation, I try cracking a joke. "Can you imagine what they'd look like if I hadn't had your blood? Whoo." I pretend to wipe sweat from my forehead.

"Is this funny to you?" Eric asks. There is no smile on his face. Though his voice is calm, he speaks of what Sam has done in a cold and vicious voice. "That fucking shifter abuses you and you laugh?"

"It's easier to laugh than it is to cry," I said. I lean the top of my head onto his chest with my hands on either side of his waist. Again, I am wrong. It isn't easier to laugh after all.

He rests his chin on my head and kisses it. He let me stand like that and cry for what seems like forever and I appreciate that. He let me stand there and cry for everything and everyone that I have lost here in Bon Temps. I cry for me, Gran, my parents, Lafayette, Dawn, Bill, Jason, and even Arlene. I cry for the life that I wish I'd had.

With his chin still resting in my head, he asks, "Are you okay?"

I nod.

"Do you want to go home?"

Home; that's wherever Eric was. I know that if I have no one else or nowhere else to go and that no matter where I am, I can always go home to him.

I look up at him and nod.

"Keys?"

Taking the keys from my purse, I hand them to Eric. Once the doors are unlocked and we are inside, he looks at me. I see sadness and anger in his eyes but he says nothing else about Sam. "Buckle up."

I do as he says.

When he cranks the car, Sputter Jax, that's my car's name, shakes and rattles a little bit.

Eric shakes his head. "You can fuss all you want but you are getting a new car."

I laugh and lean my head against the car window.

When Eric pulls out of the Merlotte's parking lot for the last time, he doesn't take a left. We are not heading to Hummingbird Road as we've done over a million times before. Bon Temps fades out of view as we head home to Shreveport. The bad thoughts of the mean people that I grew up with and around were suddenly gone. The bad and awful memories are now behind us. The mean people, the misery, the loneliness, the tears and the sadness; they all faded out of sight for the last time. With my eyes closed, I realize that there's only one thing left to say.

With a smile on my face and holding my husband's hand, I look out in the direction of the night and say, "Good-bye, Bon Temps. You never knew me."


	20. Chapter 20

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 20**

**Flashback #7 –Their Lives Begin**

**From this point on, the chapters will be flashbacks. The flashbacks will lead us to New Orleans; in the present. There will still be a couple of things that will be left for the future chapters to explain. This chapter is Eric's PoV. He is doing some serious thinking about Sookie and about the things that transpired that night with Sam.**

**I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, those who haven't reviewed the story, those who have put this story as one of their favorites, and those who have put it on alert. You guys are the most remarkable people in the world of fan fiction. The time that you give to me and to this story is absolutely priceless. I can't thank you enough. I hope that you enjoy.**

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><p>I hold Sookie close to me; feeling her heartbeat as I carry her from the car and into the house. I inhale the sweetest smell I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Even though she has worked in that dump that the shifter calls a bar, she still smells amazing.<p>

"You smell divine; sunlight, love and everything in between."

"It's the fried pickles," she said. She was trying to make a joke but it failed. My lover's heart is broken. She is broken. After what the shifter has done to her tonight, he will surely die. I will make sure of that. Sam will not live past tonight. I guarantee it. This angst that she feels is his fault.

I hate to feel misery inside of her. That's not a part of who she is. She shouldn't know such an emotion exists. Someone so loving and caring should never know such pain. She should never know what it feels to be an outsider or to feel unwanted. A person such as Sookie should only ever know love.

She wraps her arms tighter around my neck as her head rests on shoulder. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asks as I carry her into our home. She lifts her weary head and looks at me. Those sad eyes break my heart. "I don't want to sleep without you again. I don't like waking up without you."

Kissing her forehead, I tell her that there is nothing that I want more. "I never want to go to rest without you by my side again. Sleeping in separate rooms? I don't care for that in the least."

She snuggles down in my arms; contentment takes the place of her sadness and misery for just a second. I relish moments such as these. Normally, she doesn't want me to carry her. Her argument is always the same; that she is not a baby but after night a like tonight, she didn't fight with me. She has willingly let me take care of her and I love it.

Once we are safely secured in our room, I sit her on the bed; holding her as close to me as possible. She looks up at me. "Our new life begins tonight; just you and me." She smiles at me through swollen eyes.

I look at her and I know just what to do. I want her to know that she is special. Maybe soon she'll understand that showing her love does not make her a kept woman but a loved woman. I am going to treat her like the treasure that she is. I am going to do for _her_, take care of _her_; something that she is not used to. I've always wanted to do that for her but she would never allow it. Well, since she is going to be my wife, it is something that she is going to _have_ to get used to. Because every chance that is given to me, I will spoil her.

"Stand up."

Slowly, she does as I've ordered.

I stand in front of her and begin the process of removing her shorts. When my fingers graze her delicate skin, she catches her breath and lust fills the bond. That is one emotion that pushes the sadness out of the way. Her scent fills the room. My nostrils flare and my fangs drop. Her skin flushes at my touch. I feel myself stirring at the mere anticipation of having her warmth wrapped around me. She feels my want grazing her leg as I stand closer to her. She moves in just a little. Her breathing is hurried.

I smile down at her.

She gulps. "Eric, we can't. I want to be your wife before we make love again. I want it to be …"

Why I agreed to such nonsense is beyond even my comprehension. To make matters easier for me, I do what needs to be done. I think of the vilest things imaginable as to ease my yearnings; fangbangers, Ocella, Freyda, Sandy Sechrest. That does it.

By the waist of her shorts, I pull her back to me but I don't say a word. I shake my head and she stops speaking. She rests her hand on my shoulder while I kneel down in front of her. I pull her shorts down to her feet. She realizes what I'm doing and she shifts from foot to foot as I undress her. I can't remove her panties because I won't be able to give her what she wants; a sexless engagement. She has to do that herself.

"Lift your arms."

I pull her shirt up over her head as her sunbathed hair falls over shoulders. I wrap my arms around her and unfasten the clasps to her bra. I slide the straps over her arms and this time, I have to catch my breath. I can see her a million times a night and she will forever fascinate me. She will forever be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen or known. Everything about her is fascinating to me; those eyes, that smile. "You're beautiful."

A smile manages to push more of the sadness away.

"Sit down."

Again, she does as I ask and I kneel down to remove her shoes and socks.

"I love you."

"Stay here." She watches me as I leave the room.

I go to our bathroom and draw her bath. When I return to her, she already has her robe on. Her panties are in a little white ball by the bed. She stands on her tip toes and kisses me.

"Thank you." She goes into the bathroom and closes the door behind her.

As she bathes, I prepare our bed for her. My mind goes back to her fragile state. This is not like her. She's been through a lot worse; wolves tried to kidnap her, a maenad attacked her, FoTSs members imprisoned her, faeries almost killed her. The faeries, I think, were the worst. They almost broke her. She had the right to be fragile and afraid after such an ordeal, but this; a fucking shifter breaking her spirit? I don't understand. She has been hurt by those useless humans before but this is different. This is a pain that I can't bear to see her go through.

I watched her while driving home and she looked defeated. Her shoulders were stooped. Her eyes were filled with sadness. This night has all but rendered me helpless. This was not the first time that this has happened.

**The Argument in the Alcove**

Her fears of Felipe and Sandy had not been calmed either. All night last night, I could feel her fear. I wanted to talk to her about Felipe and Sandy but she needed a night of happiness. I did all that I could to make them vanish; even if it was just for a few hours. She just couldn't get them off of her mind. Neither could I but the night wasn't about them. We needed the time.

While we were relaxing in the alcove after our swim, she did what she promised she wouldn't do; she talked about Felipe and Sandy. She talked about them separating us. She talked about Freyda winning. She talked about us not winning and our very existence changing forever. Nothing I said seemed to calm her. She continued on.

"What if we're not meant for do or die? What if no matter what we do, we lose?"

She had so many _'what ifs_' that my anger got the better of me and I punched the wall of the alcove. She just stood there and looked at me; didn't speak another word. The look that she had on her face didn't change. She wanted answers to her _'what ifs'_. She wanted answers that I couldn't give. That is what angered me. I'm her Viking, her warrior, her protector and I couldn't ease her fears. I went to her and held her to me. With her arms and legs wrapped around me, I took us to the water. We floated as we held onto each other.

I said to her, as she rested her chin on my shoulder, "Don't worry, lover. There is nothing in this world that can keep us apart. You're my girl."

A small laugh escaped her. "I'm your girl." She leaned back and looked at me as I told her how I felt.

I nodded to her as I told her. "Yes, you're my girl. You've made my life better. Before you, I was just here in this world. I was neither happy nor sad. I was neither angry nor content. I was nothing. I was just ... here. But you, Sookie Stackhouse, there's no one in this world like you." I kissed her. "You've given me a purpose and you love me. You've made me a man again and I am forever grateful for that. The night that you walked through the doors of Fangtasia, I knew that was it."

"What was it?" she whispered.

"I would never be the same. I knew that my life would never be the same."

Tears fell from her eyes as she kissed me. "I love you so much. You can never leave me. Promise me forever, Eric Northman."

"I swear to you."

A wave of contentment swept through us. "Do you think that it would be okay if everyone in this world just disappeared and there was no one else here but you and me?"

I nuzzled her neck and said, "They're already gone, lover."

"Good," she answered.

We hugged each other tighter.

As I pulled back the covers, I am embraced by the beautiful smells of peaches and sunlight. I turn around and there she is. Sookie came from the bathroom fully dressed in her pajamas and ready for bed. She is almost dragging herself across the room. Looking at her, I don't see the woman that I fell in love with. I don't see the strong-willed southern spitfire that first walked into Fangtasia. I don't see the woman that stood up to me and didn't show any fear. My Sookie is not like this. She's stronger than this. She can beat such nonsense. She normally has the personality of the oldest vampire; wise beyond her years. She is braver and stronger than any human I've ever encountered. It scares me to see her like this.

She looks at me with concern and asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, lover, I am fine. Get into bed."

She crawls into bed and gets under the covers. Once she is settled in, she pats the spot beside her. "Will you lay with me for a little while? You don't have to if you have to go to work. I can just see you when you get _home_." That word brings a smile to her face.

I do have to go to Fangtasia but it can wait. She has always said that she wants to come first. Obviously, she doesn't realize that she has and always will come first. I've always dropped everything for her. She just never noticed. When Rene' attacked her, I was there. Long Shadow attacked her, Bill stood back and watched. I was there. When she needed me in Dallas, I was there. The maenad; I was there. When she was staked, I was there. Both times Debbie tried to kill her, I was there. When the Pelts kidnapped her, Rhodes, anytime she needed me, I was there. I have always been there. As always, Fangtasia and everything else can wait. I kick off my shoes and I lay in bed with her. I then pull her to me. "I have time."

Though the tears have stopped, I can feel that she is still sad. "Thank you for coming for me." She settles into my arms and sighs. It is as if the weight of the world has been released with that one sound.

"What else would I have done?" I say that to her so that she will know that there will be no doubts about my feelings for her or what I would do for her. "I will always be there for you. My life is yours."

Her beautiful red-rimmed and swollen eyes smile up at me. "Forever?" she asks.

"I cross my heart and hope to die."

Finally she fills our room with laughter. The sounds of her laughing have always calmed me. The gentle sounds of her happiness have always filled me with ease and comfort.

"Did you know that I came in here with you this morning?" She doesn't wait for a response. "I did not sleep well last night. I missed you. I came in here to lie with you … in all of your naked glory. Being near you makes me feel better. Before I left for work, you told me that you love me. Did you know that? You woke up and told me that you love me."

That surprises me. I've only ever woken up during the daylight hours once before. The first time was in Rhodes but it was entirely different. We were in danger then and I couldn't wake up. She tried with everything in her power to get me to rise but it was a difficult task. She told me that she screamed in my face and in my ears but I did not budge. I've never thought about that until now. My life would have ended that day. My very existence was in danger and I couldn't wake up on my own but just the feel of her needing me this morning, made me open my eyes with no provocation. I hold her closer to me.

"My life is yours, Eric," she said that in a sleepy voice. She yawns once again.

"Do you think that you will ever regret the decisions that you have made?" I am only asking because I want to make sure that _she_ is sure. I am secure with the knowledge that she wants to be here with me. I am a vampire and I have no insecurities. The question is mainly for her benefit. Just so that she can be sure that she has made the right decision.

That's the only reason I ask.

Her eyes fly open and she looks at me. "My goodness no, I want nothing more than for us to live together. When you came for me tonight, I've never felt safer. I will never regret you or any of the decisions that I've made so that we can be together. I want nothing more than to wake up each morning and see you beside me." She put her head back on her pillow and said, "Now shut-up so that I can get some sleep." She giggles. I begin to feel _my_ lover, _my_ Sookie flowing through me once again.

"You love me?"

"More than anything," she says.

"What happened with Sam tonight?"

From what I've gathered from our past conversations, he has always been jealous of vampires. The silence of our minds drew her to us and he hated it. He has always made cruel comments to her when it comes to her relationships with vampires.

As she told me about the things that he said to her, she said that the night that she put in her notice was the final straw. "His insults and put downs about you; I couldn't take it anymore. Listening to him made me realize what I needed to do." she said. "I thought that he was my friend and wanted me to be happy. I guess my happiness was never really a consideration."

Coupled with what happened tonight, my only thoughts are of finding Sam in the woods of Bon Temps on the night of the first full moon. I imagine him shifting into a bear; a rare 600lb black bear. I imagine hunting him down and maiming him. For some reason, he doesn't shift back into a human once he's been shot. He stays in the form of a bear. That pleases me beyond measure. I torture him for awhile and then eventually I do kill him. I skin him and use his hide as a bear skin rug for the cabin that I have in Alaska. I imagine spreading him out in front of the fireplace as I stand on his back; pleased with my kill. I see Sookie and me lying on the bear skin rug that used to be Sam Merlotte. That image makes me smile.

Sookie sits up and looks at me. "Why are you smiling?"

Knowing that she may not find humor in my comment, I decide to keep this fantasy to myself. "I want to kill him."

She playfully hits my chest and says, "You won't."

"I want to."

"But you won't." She sounded so sure of herself. "Neither will Pam, Bill, or any other vampire; just throwing that in for good measure." She knew me all too well.

"He only lives because of you. I could have squeezed the useless life out of him. I could feel him growing limp in my grasp. If he ever hurts you again, not even your pleading will save him." The smile creeps back on my face.

"It would make me sad if you killed him."

"Why?" I ask. "He hurt you. He has been no friend to you."

"He wasn't always like this and I don't want him to die." She has a matter of fact tone to her voice when she said that.

"Well let's hope that for his sake that he never hurts you again." I look down at her and said, "That is why you are sad … you lost someone that meant something to you."

"No." From the look on her face, I think that answer surprises her. With her head still in the crook of my arm, Sookie looks at up me. "I've worked there for years. Holly's been there just as long as I have. Kennedy is relatively new. We weren't friends really but it's okay that they didn't come to see me on my last night. Holly and I had never really talked much but here lately we've kinda been making that step to becoming friends, I think. Kennedy has always been real sweet to me. She and Holly both know about my telepathy and it doesn't bother them in the least. I've really come to like them." She then falls silent.

"What is it, lover?"

"Terry gave me the most beautiful picture as a going away gift. Some random customers congratulated me on my move and our pending marriage. Over a couple of weeks ago, Holly even invited _us_ to her reception but I told you that already, right?"

I nod my answer as she continues.

"I asked her if she was sure about _us_ coming as a couple, ya know? And you know what she said?"

"She said yes. That is why we are going."

Sookie rolls her eyes.

"Why the look?" I ask her.

"No reason, smart ass," Sookie said. "What I'm getting at is that she said that she wants _us_ there. She said that she doesn't care what the rednecks in Bon Temps think. She wants _you_ there with _me_. Kennedy said that you were good for me because she likes to see me happy and smiling. They even want to come to our wedding, Eric. People that I never really thought of as my friends were happy for me. Jason, Tara, nor Sam told me good-bye. Sam and Tara hate vampires. My so-called best friend was nowhere in sight. My brother wasn't even there. Not one person that I care about cared enough about me to say good-bye." She sighs. "Not one."

"The sadness and the tears were not for Sam?"

Before she speaks, she breathes in as deeply as she can. "When I made these changes to my life, I said to myself that I would never have another reason to cry. I would be with the man that I love. We will be happy but I'm hurting, Eric." She hides her face behind her hands and says, "The sadness and the crying are for me. I realize tonight that I don't matter to any of them. They won't even know that I'm gone. It'll be like I never existed …even to my brother. It hurts to know that they mean more to me than I do to them." She begins to cry again.

That angers me to no end. I sit up quickly and with my hand underneath her chin. "Never say that again. Do you understand me? You do matter. You are everything. You are my reason for being. You're the most loving and caring person I know. It's always been you, Sookie. Do you hear me? You're everything. You're all that matters."

She blinks back tears. She nods and the bond swells with love. We lay back in our original positions and look up at the ceiling. After a few minutes of silence, Sookie speaks. "You know what, Eric?"

"What is it, my lover?"

"I think that a new start here in Shreveport will be just perfect. Everything bad that has ever happened to us has happened in Bon Temps. The people hated me and called me names. They hated you because you are a vampire. No reason to go back. Jason's still there but we can write and call each other. He has his own life. Now, I have mine. There's really no reason for me to go back there. Everything that I need is right here in this bed. All I've ever wanted is you."

"I'll always be here."

She nods. "I've always had you. Even when I was with Bill, I had you."

I notice that she did not say that she was Bill's. That makes me happy beyond reason. She has always belonged to me. The first time I met her, I knew that she would be mine. "You'll always have me."

"I know." She yawns again.

For the next five minutes we laid there in silence as I stroked her hair. Sookie finally fell asleep in my arms. For a long time, I just hold her, studying every detail of her beautiful face. As she sleeps, I think of what she said as we made love last night. I then whisper in her ear and say, "We _are_ made for each other."

She smiles and snuggles in closer to me. Her soft rhythm of breathing keeps me with her a little while longer. I begin to think of the many things that she has given up for me. She's given up more than her house and her job. She's given up the chance to have children or to be with someone that can take her on picnics by the waterfall in the summertime during the day. We can never watch the sunrise together. I will never see the sunlight dancing in her eyes. There is only one thing that I can be done. I will have to make sure that there is never a reason for her to regret being with me. I will keep her happy.

The ringing of my cell phone interrupts my thoughts. "Pam," I whisper.

"Where are you? We are waiting."

"Hold on." Before I answer her, I put the phone on the bedside table and I gently put Sookie on her pillow. I kiss her as I pull the covers up over her. Once I have my phone and Sookie is safely secured in our room, I go to my office to finish my call.

"I will be there shortly. Sookie needed me."

"Is she okay? I could feel that she was afraid earlier. I was going to her but I could feel your joy. Did you get to hurt the one that caused her pain?" Pam has a sound of joy in her voice. Her fangs click in place from the anticipation of hearing about an unwilling victim.

"No. She would not let me kill the shifter."

I can almost see Pam's face with a surprised look on it. I can hear Compton in the back yelling about that fucking shifter. "Sam attacked Sookie?" Pam begins to laugh as Bill continues to rant about finding Sam and killing him. She then says to me, "Bill is right, you know? He should die for his offense. Bill and I, we could kill him."

That thought did occur to me but alas, I did not '_call_' to my child. "I promised Sookie that we would not kill him."

"Well, we didn't."

"No, but I did. Neither you nor Compton are to go near the shifter."

Bill grumbles in the background but he acknowledges my order with a yes sheriff. Pam answers differently. "Yes, master. What do I tell the others? We are waiting."

"You all will wait until I get there..."

"Will do," she says as she hangs up.

Before leaving home, I call Mustapha. I'm not going to leave Sookie alone. I tell him to send Warren to watch the house. Warren was a Navy Seal and served with Mustapha. They are the most vicious Weres I've ever had the pleasure to meet. The fact that they will kill anyone, including their own kind in the name of honor, is what drew me to them. The fact that they are snipers didn't hurt either.

"He will be there in five minutes. Same post?" he asks.

"Yes. Call me upon his arrival."

"Done," Mustapha said.

When the call is over, I go back downstairs to check on Sookie and to be sure that she is still resting and she is … peacefully. I put my phone on vibrate as not to wake her. She is smiling as she sleeps. When I look at her, it dawns on me. I've known it all along but in my mind it's different because it's her. My thinking has always been different because it's Sookie.

She can be strong-willed and have the strongest of personalities; yet weak and vulnerable in the same breath. She can be wise beyond her years and still know nothing. She can be indecisive and shy. She can be fearless and scared. No matter how much I don't want her to feel pain or misery, it is just a part of who she is; her tears, her laughter, her sadness, and her joys. She can be all of those things and she's going to feel all of those things. She's not like me.

She's human.

A horn blares in the night. Warren is there.

I kiss my wife good night. As I look at her sleeping face, I am even more determined that I will do anything to keep her safe. She will have no reason to regret the decisions that she has made for us. I will keep her safe and happy; even if it means sacrificing everything for her.

"I will take care of you."

I then leave for Fangtasia.

With my outstanding driving skills, I am there in no time. I enter through the employee entrance of the bar. We closed the bar early because of the meeting. When I arrive, I make my presence known. They all bowed and greeted their Sheriff but each eye stays focused on the door. They are waiting for someone else to enter. I turn to see who they are expecting to come through the door. Pam is the first to speak.

"Is Sookie coming?" Pam asks as she looks past me.

When she asks, every vampire in the bar decides that it's okay to ask the same question. Thalia and Indira said that they have something to talk over with her. Heidi said that she wants Sookie to braid her hair. Maxwell Lee said that he bought her the '_new_' old Bettie Davis movie.

"She really likes _'All about Eve'_. It was on sale. We're supposed to watch it!" He is holding the movie up so that we can see it.

Pam said, "We watched that a few months ago; pretty good movie. I met Bette Davis once. She wasn't as bad as everyone made her out to be. Her sense of humor much left to be desired but all in all, she was alright …for a human."

I look at the vampires in my presence and am proud of their loyalty to her. It makes me even prouder that it is not an order that has to be handed down. They willingly accept her as one of their own. But I am upset. It's as if Sookie is the one that called them all here for a tea party or a sleepover. They don't seem to care at all that we have to deal with Felipe.

"She is busy." When that is said, each vampire, Were, and human continues with their earlier conversation that I seem to have so rudely interrupted.

Pam looks at me and shrugs her shoulders in a very human way. "Oh, okay. Well, let us know when you're ready."

Before she gives Bill her attention once more, I let her know that I have to call Felipe about the plans that Sookie and I have made. She looks at me as if she is a mother about to scold a child. "Weren't you supposed to have done that already?"

For her information, I called him last night and as usual, my _king_ did not respond to any of my calls. As I've done many, many times before, I ignore her irritating question and go on with my business. "I will return shortly."

Once I am in my office, I check my messages and I have several waiting for me. The one that I am listening for is the very last one I receive; though it is no surprise. I take his late response as a tactical maneuver. It is none other than Felipe.

"I hear that congratulations are in order, Sheriff. There's nothing like celebrating the killing of a regent with a human wedding. If the council approves your request to cancel the contract that your maker has signed then I wish you a long and happy marriage. Well, as long a marriage as a vampire can have with a faery ... human ... whatever she is. But before you do this, there is something that you must know; especially before you marry way into the Brigant family. It would be rather crude of me to leave a message of this sort on an answering service. Call me."

I call my king.

He answers on the first ring.

"Sheriff Northman," he answers smugly. "Nice of you to call; I can assume you have called for the piece of crude information that I just could not stand to leave with an answering service. You must know that I have received word from the council."

"Yes, your majesty," I said. Those words, when spoken to Felipe de Castro, have always left a bad taste in my mouth.

"It pains me to tell you such news, Northman. You have always been such a loyal servant."

His condescending attitude does nothing more than annoy me; nonetheless, my voice holds not a drop of emotion. "I appreciate that, my king. What news do you have for me?"

He pauses briefly; which I take to mean is that he is trying to show some type of empathy or sincerity in what he is about to say. "Is your dear wife with you? Since she is mine to a certain degree, this affects her as well. I want to be sure that our Sookie will be able to handle such a disturbing prospect. I want her to know that whatever may come, I will be there for her. You do understand?"

"_My_ wife is with her friends this night. She will be joining me shortly. Whatever information that you have to relay to _my_ wife can be given to her through me. I will be sure that she gets the message." There is no way that I was going to tell him that she is home alone. And he is sorely mistaken.

She is mine.

Felipe makes a tsk, tsk, tsk, sound with his mouth. "It is a shame that I cannot tell you two while you are together. You and _your_ wife will have to come to New Orleans to the royal residence in oh say, three weeks to meet with the council. There is one thing that has worked in your favor. At least the two months has been shortened, right Northman?" Felipe laughs and goes on about how time constraints are a bother when … blah, blah, blah. His stall tactics do nothing but irritate me more than I already am but as usual, I keep my cool.

"If you do not mind, your majesty, I have to get back to the bar. We are extremely busy."

"Oh yes, yes, Northman. Listen at me rambling on and such. I will call you back with a definite date and time for the meeting. The other bit of information is that if the council does not agree to the marriage at that time, you and your faery will be separated."

I say nothing. Sandy has already told us this bit of information.

Felipe continues. "What that means, Northman, is that you and your wife will be separated as soon as the ruling is given."

"I understand," is all that I say. Sandy did not tell us this but I keep my tone neutral.

"You are surprisingly calm, Northman; especially to have just heard that you will lose your precious faery as soon as a ruling has been made."

I can hear in his smug voice that he isn't happy that I'm not erratic and screaming about Sookie. He expected me to be irrational.

"You still love your faery, Northman? If not, I am sure that there is some vampire out there that can take her off of your hands. As a matter of fact, I will take her before the ruling if …"

"I will accept the ruling as it is handed down but with all due respect, your majesty, Sookie is mine. Will there be anything else?"

"Not tonight, Sheriff Northman. Expect my call. Good evening." With a hint of amusement in his voice, Felipe hangs up.

Briefly, I think of my lover and out of habit, I test the bond. As I expect, she is still sleeping. Craving to be with her almost overpowers me; urging me to take flight; not to make love to her but to hold her, but I control my urges and turn my mind to back to the business at hand.

I think over everything that Felipe has told me. Normally when it comes to Sookie, I can be a bit irrational but I will take my time with this. Reacting on my emotions will not get us what we have been fighting for. The first thing that I have to do is to protect her. Her safety always comes first. The first thing that we need to do is move. We need to switch houses as soon as possible.

I have a couple of vacant houses in Shreveport. The house in the gated community may be better; she will be safer there, more comfortable. There are other humans that live there. She will have people to socialize with. She will be able to sunbath in private. Our house has a large pool. I'll take care of her human needs; food and other … human things will be made available to her. The most important thing is that the community belongs to me and I have security that can keep watch of her during the day while I'm at rest. She may not like being watched but she has no choice. Once I explain to her what is going on, she will understand.

I begin doing what is necessary for the safety and the security of my lover. When I am done emailing Mustapha his orders; which I will make him aware of after the meeting, I decide to handle some other business that I will have to discuss with Sookie; car, finances, security. She will need to be aware in case something happens. I have to make sure that my lover is well taken care of.

After completing the first leg of my plan, I return to the bar with the others. Everyone that needs to be here is here. Bill and Pam are having a heated conversation and I have not doubts that it's about Sam Merlotte's existence. Colton and Immanuel are sitting at the bar drinking. Immanuel is consoling Colton. Colton is still grieving over the loss of his wife. At first I believed that he should be brave. She fought for what is right. She did not die in vain. Needless to say, my opinions have changed. I never want to know what he is going through. From the look on his face, he will suffer until his death because of this loss.

Mustapha reports that Warren has checked in and all is secure. He leaves without another word. He takes his place at a corner bar with Heidi. Her face lights up when he approaches her. The younger vampires have no qualms with having relationships with shifters and Weres. I'll never understand their perversities; vampires and wolves. There is no future there; especially if his wife has anything to say about it.

Maxwell Lee, as cool as ever, is leaning against the corner of the bar talking with Thalia, and Indira. Palomino, Parker, and Rubio are here and they are ready for the meeting to begin. When I take my place on my new throne, every vampire in the room falls silent and they take their seats.

"Who here has been contacted by the king and Sandy?"

Palomino and Parker are the first to raise their hands. They each stand. "He was at our home waiting on us the night of Sandy's visit," the two young vampires reply in unison. That surprises everyone here. I should have known that Felipe was here the entire time. He was probably watching. He wanted to see our reactions first hand.

"He wanted us to tell him what happened that night," Palomino continues. "I did as he asked. Master, he tried to get us to say that you started the battle but we would not. He wanted us to say that you provoked the fight with Victor because of your wife but we did not. Sandy said that it would be easier for the council to deny your request to break your maker's contract if you killed your superior for your pet. They offered us positions in the kingdom if we would betray you. We would not."

"Did Felipe agree?"

"Yes. Sandy then proceeded to tell him that you are marrying Sookie in a human ceremony. Sandy's idea is to testify to the council that Victor came to tell you that Felipe denied your request and it angered you. They plan to say that Victor told you that he was to return the faery to the king and you killed him. He laughed. They are making plans to falsely testify at the hearing."

Pam's fangs descend. "Did he ask questions about their marriage?"

"Yes," said Parker. He stands there and looks at his elder with a blank look on his face.

"And what did you say?" Pam asks as if she is speaking to children.

"I told him that we know nothing. I told him that we are not part of the inner circle and would not know of such things just yet."

"Mustapha," I turn my attentions to the Were.

"They are truthful." Mustapha said no more and took his seat. That was all that he is to say in front of others.

Heidi stands and lets me know that she has not been contacted. A quick flicker of her eyes tells me different. I understand. She takes her seat next to Mustapha.

Rubio, Immanuel, and Colton said that they have not been contacted. Mustapha confirms that bit of information as well. Maxwell and Heidi have also been told to be in Las Vegas by week's end. They are to meet with Felipe and Sandy privately but were not informed about what. Pam and Bill will not have to be questioned.

"I was informed by Rasul," Bill said, "that Pam and I would not be believed. She is your child and because I was once in love with Sookie. There is no need to call us … yet."

Pam takes that as her queue to finish up. "We will be called upon once they believe that wedding date has been set. We _are_ part of the inner circle. I am thinking that torture will be used to get us to talk." Pam looks at Bill and raises her eyebrows.

He nods in agreement with what she has said.

Pam looks at me as she continues speaking. "We say this because we are speaking of Felipe. We have talked about this, Bill and I, and we are ready for whatever Felipe decides." Pam stops speaking and looks at me intently; waiting.

I look at the humans and the three young vampires. "You are no longer needed. You are expected to keep in contact if things change. If any of you are contacted by the king or any of his underlings you are expected to report to me or either Pam. Do you understand?"

When they've acknowledged my order, I send them on their way. When they are gone, I motion for my inner circle to follow me to my office. Since my office is soundproof, I am not concerned with security. When it comes to Sookie, I have to question everything and trust no one except, my child, unconditionally.

"No one will know of the wedding plans until the day of. Keep your calendars clear; you will be needed. If there are any plans of an attack, we must be prepared for any and everything. Is that clear?"

There are yeses and nods from around the room.

"When do you go before the council?" Bill asks.

"We have not received a definite date but I have been advised within weeks. We have to go to New Orleans. Since the king has not overruled my maker's contract, we have to go to the royal residence where the council meeting will be held. Sookie and I will be separated if at that time the council denies my request."

Pam is startled but keeps her cool façade. "Sandy did not say this on the night of her arrival; bitch. Is Sookie aware of this?"

I shake my head no. "It was meant for Sandy not to tell us. Felipe wanted to be the one to give us the news. I was not told until tonight." I fill them in on the phone call that I had with Felipe. Since there are only a few hours before the dawn, I try to fill them in on what was happening as quickly as possible. I want to get home to Sookie.

"Heidi, there was something that you wanted to say earlier," I said to her.

She removes her hand from Mustapha's lap when she stands. He didn't flinch. "Stan called me last night. He said that he has heard of the dilemma that you and your 'faery' are in and he is willing to assist in any way that he can. I told him that he would have to speak with you about any dilemmas."

I understand why she left this bit of information quiet. I also understand why Stan wants to help. He knows that Sookie is a Brigant and if he makes himself available to her, he will have some very powerful allies. Also, Stan would like nothing more than to kill Felipe. Felipe had his eye on Texas before he'd stolen Louisiana from Sophie Ann. And from the grumblings of my spies, Felipe hasn't taken his eyes off of Texas yet.

"Contact him Heidi and let him know that I will be in touch."

She nods and takes her seat; her hand returns to Mustapha's lap.

I confirm that they all will move into one of the vacant houses that I own throughout the area. Everyone will be safe and security has been put into place by Mustapha. My last order of business is to let them all know that Sookie and I won't be staying in the house any longer.

"We will go to a hotel in Alexandria until further arrangements have been made. No one is to know where we are." There is no need to explain what will happen if our location was found out. "Once our residence has been prepared, you will be notified. Mustapha," I said.

Taking his eyes off of the hand that has settled on his lap, he focuses on me, "Yes." Heidi removes her hand and diverts her eyes to her lap.

"I have sent you an email with instructions. You will handle the hiring of the construction crew and any weapons that the security team may need." I let him know that he is to hire someone that does high quality work. "He is to only look at the house first. I want Sookie to decide on the cosmetics of the house such as the kitchen and bathroom designs, light fixtures, furniture, and anything else that the home needs." This is not just my home but hers. I want her to see that.

Just as the meeting is ending, I can feel Sookie in the bond. Contentment, love, and desire hit me all at once. The meeting is over. Within seconds, I am heading home.

Before I pull into the driveway, I give Warren our signal that he can go. As the garage door closes, he howls. He is gone for the night. I have anticipated this moment since I left; coming home to her. My mind is cleared of all distractions; my movements are so fast that I am naked and in the bed with my lover before the security alarms to the house and our bedroom have time to set. I cradle her in my arms and inhale her scent.

As I hold her, I think of how much I used to dream of waking and seeing her beautiful head resting on the pillow next to mine. A sudden and an unexplainable sadness flows through me. I wish with everything in me that I can take her on a picnic during the day by our waterfall. I wish that I can give her a family. I wish that I can see those beautiful blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. I wish that I can see if the sun is as jealous of her beauty as the moon and the stars are. I imagine watching her open her eyes and seeing her smile at me just as the sun hits the horizon. I imagine her smelling as she does at this very moment; peach body wash and sunlight. I imagine sitting at the breakfast table with her and our children as the sun shines through the window. My sadness deepens.

Sookie wakes up and sleepily asks me, "Baby, what's wrong?" She places her small warm hand upon my cheek.

"Go back to sleep, lover."

"Eric, I can feel you. Something's wrong. Tell me what's …"

"Shhh; you rest, my lover. It is almost dawn."

She reluctantly lays back down and snuggles back into my side.

That nagging feeling stays with me until I falls asleep.

_I promised her forever._

Can I give her what she wants?

_I promised her forever._

Do I want her to lose that summer glow that makes her more beautiful than anyone I've ever seen? Do I want the sunlight to leave her hair, to not kiss her skin anymore? Do I want the sun to no longer wash over the most beautiful thing that it will ever touch? Can I take the sun from her ...a sun that she loves so much? Can I bear to watch her give it up for me? Can I do it? Isn't it the life that lives within her what I feel in love with; her soul, her passion?

_But I promised her forever._

Can I turn her?


	21. Chapter 21

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 21**

**Flashback # 8**

**Our New Home**

**I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving. I really hope that you did not do as I did; internet shop and overeat. Mine was absolutely wonderful and completely busy. I do apologize for the delay in the chapters. Hopefully, I will be able to make up for it by having at least two chapters posted as closely together as possible. I want to thank you all for reading, reviewing, making this story one of your favorites, and alerting to the story. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think.**

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><p>As I look up into the morning sky, Eric's face fills my mind. His beautiful blue eyes and that handsome smile make me feel tingles in places that I never knew I had. What in the hell was I thinking when I told him no more sex until we get married? Images of sexual acts fill my mind as I thought of him. I smile into my coffee mug. There are ways that we can please each other without actual intercourse ... I know that I can think of something. My heartbeat quickens as I think of different ideas, different ways to please my man. Before Eric, I never would have thought of such things but he makes me want to explore my inner sex goddess. I can't help but giggle … inner sex goddess. He really has changed my life.<p>

During the time when he'd lost his memory, I used imagine us being and doing everything as one; as a couple. He gave me so much hope during that time. When he said that he would run away with me and never look back, I wanted to take him up on his offer but I couldn't. How can you do that to someone that you claim to love? He wouldn't have been the true Eric; the one that I love more than the one that lost his memory. I did what I knew would be best for us. I waited for Eric to return to being Eric ... and it was for the best. We are meant to be.

_What was wrong with him last night?_

Stop it.

As I look up into the sky, I think that this is the type of day that a person would enjoy with someone that they love. I imagine Eric and me in a convertible with the top down and the wind blowing through our hair. We would be riding down the highway; any highway. It didn't matter just as long as we are together. The sun would be shining down on us and the radio would be turned up full blast on any song that was playing. There would be a picnic basket and Gran's ugly afghan in the backseat. We'd go to our waterfall and have a picnic. We'd talk and swim. We'd tell each other the worst jokes we've ever heard. We'd laugh even though we know that they're not funny. We'd just enjoy each other with no interruptions. We'd be happy all day long. We'd make love all night. I would lose myself in his eyes.

_Is he regretting the decisions that we've made?_

I said to stop it, Sookie.

I shift in my seat and shake the nonsense from my mind. The thought of us in that convertible makes a real smile spread across my face. Even though I know that it's will never happen, it still makes me happy. Because it's my dream, it'll always make me happy. I love him. Sunlight, moonlight, dawn or dusk; it doesn't matter. As long as we're together, everything will be fine.

_If that's true and if you believe that everything is going to be fine, then why was he feeling all ...goopy inside last night? Why did he feel as if he was sad? Why did it feel as if it was HIS heart that was breaking?_

"Enough, Sookie Stackhouse," I said aloud. "He loves you."

_But why would he …?_

I will not go there. I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to think about our wedding. As I pull my knees to my chest and sip my coffee, I think of the types flowers that we'll have. I think about the colors of my bridesmaids dresses. That makes me laugh. Dresses; how many bridesmaids will I have? I can't ask Michelle, Kennedy, or Holly to be in my wedding. I wouldn't ask them if I could. I can't put human lives in danger for a wedding. I can't be responsible for their lives or their deaths. I'll have Pam. She's all that I'll need. She will be the most beautiful maid of honor. Thalia and Indira will make beautiful bridesmaids. Oh and my dress ...my dress will definitely not be white; cream maybe? Pam and I will look at the books tonight and go from there.

Just as I start to think of the groomsmen, Mustapha pulls into the driveway. When he gets out of the car, I lift my hand to wave at him and he gives me a nod. Hell, that's better than before. He barely acknowledged me at first. I didn't even think that he knew what I looked like.

I place my mug on the side table and I stand just as he reaches the porch. "Good morning." I offer him my hand in greeting and he accepts; rather stiffly. "Would you like a cup of coffee; some breakfast? I have some bacon and eggs. It won't take long to cook."

"No thank you. I've already eaten." He pats his stomach as he nods to the seat closest to the front door and sits. "Beautiful morning," he said. He sighs and leans back in the chair. He inhales deeply and smiles. "The honeysuckles smell delicious."

I agree. "They do, don't they? Gran and I used to sit out on our front porch in the mornings after breakfast and just enjoy the summer smells. It's a shame that it's almost over." I take my seat and look out at the summer sky with Mustapha. In a couple of more weeks, we will be in September.

We sit in silence for a few moments and enjoy the morning. We watch the people as they walk by the house. They wave and smile at us. We hear several good mornings. There are soccer moms jogging as they push their babies in their strollers. There are older people walking to their mailboxes in their robes or either picking up their newspapers from the front porch. This is what I've always craved to see. It feels good to have neighbors. This is so much better than being at that dead end road on Hummingbird Lane.

"So," I said as I turn my attentions to my guest. "What are you doing here? I know that you didn't come here to sit with me and watch the neighbors walk by or talk about the smell of honeysuckles. That's just not your style. What does Eric have you doing today? Are you babysitting me?"

He sort of chuckles and shakes his head. "You are one of kind."

Repeating myself, I ask him once again, "Why are you here?"

Without hesitation or pause, he begins to speak. "Your husband has requested that I give you some news this morning. You and he will not be staying in this house any longer. Things have come to pass that will not make it a safe place for you. You mustn't unpack your things just yet. You will leave them in the garage where they are. There are other homes that I am to take you to see this morning. Once you've made your decision on the home that you and your husband will be staying in, your belongings will follow you."

Just as I try to interrupt him, Mustapha raises his hand. "Your husband said that I am not to give you a chance to argue. He said that you will try to talk me into doing the opposite of what he's advised me to do. If that is allowed, Mr. Northman, will not be a happy camper. You will let me finish what I am saying and then you can say what you wish. Right now, I will not give you that chance."

That damned Eric Northman. I laugh under my breath. "Jerk," I said.

The Were gives another hearty chuckle as he continues on with his orders from the great and all powerful Eric Northman. "I've inspected each house and each neighborhood. They are all secure and very becoming. But the best place for you and Mr. Northman is the gated community. There are guards already setup there. Once you enter the community, there are Weres at the entrance. There is only one way in and one way out. Upon nightfall, they will be replaced by vampires; very powerful and loyal vampires. The most important thing is that you will be protected at all times. I will be with you. There will be others with us but they will not be seen."

As Mustapha talks, I think back to last night. Eric was not sad because of us. It is because the time has come sooner than he'd expected. Felipe must have contacted him and told him what will happen and when. That's why he had to go to Fangtasia alone. He didn't want me to have to deal with Felipe when I had to deal with Sam. He knows that our time together may be short if the council doesn't vote with us. We have to go to a safer place just in case they come for us before we are given the chance to take our plea before the council.

"When would you like to go?" Mustapha asks.

I look at him wide-eyed; almost looking like a kid getting caught with my hand in the cookie jar. "What did you say? Where are we going?"

"To see the houses; that's where we're going and when would you like to go?" he asks. "We can go now," he said as he looks at his watch.

I shake my head as I stand up from my seat. "I need to ask you a few questions first."

This time he shakes his head. "I am not to answer any questions …"

"You don't even know what they are. Just listen for a minute okay? That's all I ask; just one minute."

He stares at me and then looks at his watch. "You have exactly one minute … starting now."

"Are the other vampires safe?"

"Yes."

"Have they moved to different places too?"

He looked as if he had to think about that. I know what he's doing. He's wasting time so that I can't ask him a lot of questions. I use my hands in the hurry up motion. He finally answers me with a long, drawn out yes.

"Did Felipe call him last night?"

Mustapha looks out into the yard and stretches before he answers. "He did not call." He stands and faces me; leaning his back against the railing and his arms folded across his chest. He looks down at his watch and says, "You have thirty seconds."

"Did someone call Eric?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "They must have. There was a message for him to call the king when he got to Fangtasia last night. You have fifteen seconds."

Smart ass

"Did Eric say anything else? When do we go before the council?"

"He said …time. Your minute is up. I cannot answer anymore of your questions. Now if you will go and get ready, I will wait here for you." He looks me square in the eyes and never flinches. He didn't care that he didn't answer my questions but I know that there is more to it than that. He had time to answer me. He just didn't want to. I am going to get what I need.

"Okay," I said as I stand next to the Were. "You wasted my time by lollygagging... on purpose too." I look up at him. "I knew what you were doing."

I stand close enough for my arm to touch his. I know that it would make it easier for me to get into his thoughts. Weres are hard to read. You have to be touching them or either they have to let you listen in. There's no reason he should suspect anything since he doesn't know a lot about my mind reading abilities.

When I touch him, I see all of my vampires at Fangtasia last night. They are in the office. They all look concerned; especially Bill. He and Pam look downright devious if you want to know the real truth. I can't hear the voices. Maxwell Lee and Thalia are there; also Indira. I suddenly see pictures of Bourbon Street. New Orleans; there's something about New Orleans. Is that where we're going? Just as I got an image of Eric, Mustapha looks down at me.

"Did you get everything that you were looking for?" He doesn't sound angry but his face is kind of contorted.

"I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't have done that. I just don't like being kept in the dark. You wouldn't tell me what I wanted to know. You wasted time ans …"

"It wasn't meant for me to tell you. Your husband will tell you more when he rises." He stands taller and says, "Anyway, I could not show you anymore than what I have shown you." He winks at me and smiles.

Now, that shocks the hell out of me.

"How did you know that you could send messages to me?"

"Don't worry about that," he said. "Now you go and get ready so that I can take you to see the houses."

I nod and begin walking in the direction of the front door. When I have the knob in my hand, I turn to him and ask, "The gated community is the better one, huh?"

He nods.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't need to see the other houses. Eric trusts you so I trust you. That's the one that Eric and I will take." The Were is surprised by my words. "Give me about ten minutes and I will be ready." Before I go inside, I ask, "Are you going to tell Eric what I did to you?"

"Are you going to tell him what I showed you?"

I shake my head no.

He laughs and then turns to face the road. "I would never do anything like this. I am always professional and you take me off my guard. Pam told me to wary of you. What did you do to me?"

I go back to the Were and hug him from behind before I go inside. "I think it's my wit and charm that has you hooked. You're not half bad, bad ass." I hear him laughing when the door slams behind me.

Once I am dressed and ready, I feel bright eyed and bushy-tailed. I leave Eric a note on the nightstand telling him that I am with Mustapha and I will try to be back by first dark. I give him a quick kiss before I leave. I make sure that Eric is secure and safe. Once that is done, I am ready for my little housing expedition. I have to admit, I am kind of excited. I've never been house hunting before.

Just as I get my purse and my house keys, I hear Mustapha on the front porch talking to someone. From the buzzing in the being's head, he isn't human. I walk slowly to the door and press my ear against it.

"Are the guards in place?" Mustapha asked his cohort.

"Yes sir. They are scattered throughout. Warren is also here but no one knows where he is." I remember Warren from the night that Victor was killed. He was in hiding then.

"Are the other cars in place?"

"Yes sir. They are right where you said for them to be."

I decide to use my genius-ness to my advantage. I move closer to the door. I need to see who this is. I stand on my tiptoes to look through the peephole and it happens. I stumble. My forehead smacks the door …hard. I hear someone say go and the talking stops.

When Mustapha opens the door, I am rubbing my forehead. He's smiling. The other …person that was out here with him is gone. One thing I know for sure is that he wasn't human. He left too fast to be human. I look around to see if I see him and he is nowhere in sight.

"Looking for someone?" Mustapha asks.

I shake my head no."I'm just looking around. Is that a crime?"

Mustapha offers me his arm as he smiles. "Shall we, my friend?"

Taking his offer of friendship with a smile and a happy heart, I answer him with a smile. "Yes, we shall."

When I get in Mustapha's car, it is almost like being in a car that my parents would have owned. I have never sat on seats as soft or as clean as these. When I rode in Alcide's truck, it was filled with company brochures and maps. When I was kidnapped by the Weres in New Orleans, they had beer and soda cans and food bags on every seat and on the floors.

But in this car; you could eat off of the floors and the seats. Most Weres drive trucks or muscle cars. They're usually on Harley's but I've never seen one driving a Toyota Camry… with a sunroof. When Mustapha cranks the car, the radio comes on and I look from the radio to the Were. I can't believe what's playing. The muscular, handsome, and rugged Were is listening to the Dixie Chicks. I mean, I like the Dixie Chicks but he could be listening to some Blake Shelton or Brad Paisley but the Dixie Chicks? This is too funny.

I begin to laugh uncontrollably, "_Cowboy Take Me Away_; really?" I ask. "You cannot be serious?"

He looks at me and his face is as serious as I've ever seen it. "I get this all of the time. Is it because I'm a black man? I can't listen to the Dixie Chicks? Black men like the Dixie Chicks too, ya know."

I laugh even harder. "You're a Were; a dangerous werewolf! On the night of the first full moon, you hunt rabbits and squirrels and you eat them... raw!"

He begins to laugh too. "Well, this is really gonna take you for a loop." He turns the radio up and starts to sing. Lo and behold; he knows every single word. He even sounds pretty good. Now that the ice is broken, I start to sing with him. I hate to admit it but this is the most fun.

When I start to sing louder, he sings louder. It is almost as if he's trying to drown me out. I tell him that I am Natalie. "You can't drown Natalie out. She's the lead singer."

If he hadn't been driving, he would have fallen onto the ground laughing. "You are no Natalie Maines."

The competition is on. I know that I can't sing but he should never hint to a woman that she sounds awful. I continue to sing and I sing horribly. I know that I am fighting a losing battle but it was well worth it. I needed this day.

When the song is over, I tell him. "That was fun, Mustapha. You really are a lot cooler than you appear to be. Thank you."

"Well thank you. And you have really helped me with a myth that I had heard many, many years ago."

"What's that?" I ask with a confused look.

As he keeps his eyes on the road, he says, "When I was younger, I used to believe that the pretty girls could do anything; make the sun shine brighter, dance; you know… anything. Well, your singing is all of the proof that I need. I now know that pretty girls are just as flawed as the rest of us."

He tries to hide his smile but it doesn't work. I try to look mad and that doesn't work either. Laughter fills the car. After the laughter has died down, I say, "You're pretty cool. I can't wait to tell Eric that you're not the jerk that I believed you to be."

He looks at me from the corner of his eye and smiles.

"So, where is this gated community?" I ask.

"It's in Baton Rouge. It's in a beautiful location." He told me how close we would be to the best shopping areas and restaurants. He told that we'll have great neighbors and above all else, we'll be safe.

Just as we reach North Common Street, a big black Cadillac Escalade pulls in behind us. They blink their lights once and Mustapha blows the horn in response. I look at him and wait for an explanation but alas, I don't get one. I sit there in silence and I wait. I look at Mustapha from the corner of my eye but he never looks at me. He doesn't even look as if he is even going to try and give me an explanation.

Since I'm bored, I play around with my cell phone for awhile. I send Eric a text and tell him that I love him and that I miss him. After that, I scroll through my phone numbers and there is Sam's number and the number to Merlotte's. Without thinking, I delete them both. There is Tara's number but I won't delete her. I still want to be there when the babies are born. It doesn't take long to go through the numbers. I don't have very many so I tinker around with the ringtones.

When I'm tired of playing with the ringtones, I go through my text messages. I save some of the best ones from Eric. I delete the bad ones from Eric. I laugh at the funny ones. I have to admit; Eric has a wicked sense of humor. Some of his jokes are outdated but they are funny just the same. I even laugh at the ones that aren't funny because it makes him feel more 'modern'. What can I say? I love him.

While I am going through my text messages, another black Escalade appears out of nowhere once we are on I-20. They pull up beside us and blow the horn. Mustapha nods at them as he slows down so that they could pull in front of us. I look at him and again, I wait for an explanation. I get what I got the first time; nothing.

"How many more tag-alongs before we get to Baton Rouge?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Who knows? It's really hard to say."

"Your explanations suck," is all that I say. He has ruined a perfectly happy day by not telling me what I want to know.

"And don't go into my head; you'll find nothing there."

I snicker. "I know."

He looks at me from the corner of his eye and says, "Hey now, that was not nice; true but not nice."

Motioning in the direction of the leading Escalade, I say to him, "I'll bet they'll be surprised to know that you like the Dixie Chicks ...and that you think you're Natalie."

He turns to face me directly this time. "If you tell them, I'll tell them that you said that Cee Lo Green is the sexiest man you've ever laid eyes on. I'll tell them that you said that you want Eric to walk down the aisle in a gold lame' suit with silver shoes and big bug eyed sunglasses." He pauses. "I'll do you one better. I'll tell Eric."

Shocked and a little louder than I intend, I say, "You wouldn't."

"You just try me."

I look straight ahead with my arms folded across my chest. We both start to snigger. The sniggers then turn into laughter. This day is getting better and better. We talk about this and that until I fall asleep.

When I wake up, we are pulling into the most beautiful housing complex I've ever seen. The houses are humungous. We stop at the gates behind the first Escalade. The guards talk with the gatekeepers for a few minutes and then we are able to go through. Thinking that we are going to have to stop, I am prepared to introduce myself. I straighten my ponytail and smile. Mustapha keeps driving and never looks their way. I turn around to see the guards and they don't even look at the car. They are talking with the guards in the other Escalade. I notice that there is another one behind the one that was behind us. The last Escalade did not follow us. They stayed behind at the gate.

I slowly turn around and mentally begin to chastise myself. I don't know why I didn't realize this at first. Somehow, I thought that once Eric and I were together, everything would be okay. I just assumed that with Victor gone and Felipe telling me that I had his protection and the protection of the vampires in his kingdoms, that I would be safe. I thought that I was valuable enough to him for him to forget about Freyda and let me and Eric be. I should have known all along.

It's me. It's always been me.

They're after me. Felipe's sending some supes after me. He is going to have Eric killed and he's going to try and claim me as his own. I knew it. That's why everything is so secretive. I am in danger and Eric is preparing for it. I know not to ask Mustapha but maybe, just maybe if I give him a sad look, he'll take pity on me and tell me exactly what is going on. I have to know. If I know, I will be on alert and know what I have to look out for. Here goes nothing; sad looking eyes, droopy mouth, a heavy sigh. Now I look at Mustapha.

Nothing

I look at Mustapha and he keeps driving; never saying a word and never looking at me. I sigh and look out of the window at the houses as we ride past them. I guess my damsel in distress routine has not effect at all on him. That must only work on the vampires. I wish that he is a vampire.

We continue driving for what feels like an hour when we finally reach what looks a like a palace. There is this big black, wrought iron gate. The first Escalade slows down as the gate opens slowly. I can't believe my eyes. It is amazing. There are gardeners working in the yard. They don't stop when we ride past. They don't even look at the car.

When we finally reach the front of the house, Mustapha stops. What is he doing?

"Who do you know that lives here?" I look down at my clothes. I am wearing jeans and a Bon Temps varsity football team tee-shirt. My hair is thrown up into a messy ponytail. I have on no makeup. I look a mess. "I can't meet people looking like this." The people that live in the house have money. They have the oldest and fanciest house in the area. They have lived here forever and here I am, Sookie Stackhouse, looking like... Sookie Stackhouse.

Mustapha gets out and walks around to my side of the car and opens the door. "We aren't here to see anyone. This is your house. This is the home that you and your husband will share."

I don't get out of the car. I don't think I am breathing but I know that I haven't died. I can feel my heartbeat. Finally finding my legs, I get out of the car very slowly and I look around. The driveway is made of cobblestone. The walkway leading to the front and the back of the house is cobblestone. There are bushes and flowers that adorn the walkway. There is greenery outlining each walkway and the driveway. The porch wraps around the house. There is black wrought iron railing that outlines the porch.

Because I am unable to move, Mustapha takes my hand into his and leads me to the house.

Accessing a keypad by the front door, Mustapha punches in a code and says, "Once you are moved in, you can change the code." He leans down and whispers to me, "The code is 'buster'."

I've called Eric buster several times and it pisses him off. I can't believe that he would use it as a code to get into the house.

As he holds the door open for me, Mustapha says, "No one knows the code but Mr. Northman, you, Pam, and me. Once it's been changed only you, Eric, and Pam will know it."

Before I can say okay, my chin hits the floor and my eyes bug out of my head. The foyer is elegant and the living room is not just big; it's massive. The furniture in the living room is very old time elegance. Queen Anne chairs with the stiff backs sit regally in the middle of the room. Cherry wood tables are scattered throughout. The room is beautiful but the furniture has to go. There are no comfortable furnishings in this room … not yet anyway.

The fireplace is made of brick and the mantle looks as old as the house. There are pictures of the old south hanging on the walls. There are rugs strewn on the floor in no particular order. Everything in this room is like a picture from the old south. Gran would have loved this room. I can see her reading in the big wingback chair with her feet propped up on the ottoman in front of the fireplace. She would have the old, ugly afghan draped over her legs.

As I look around, I imagine a huge Christmas tree in front of the big window. I imagine a Christmas party with so many of my friends; vampires and humans. I see my grandpa and my uncle here with me. We are reminiscing in front of the fireplace. We will drink cocoa with marshmallows. Holly, Kennedy and I can have sleepovers. I love it.

The next room that I need to see is the kitchen. If the kitchen and dining room are just as amazing, this is where we'll stay.

"Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea," I said under my breath.

The dining room is big enough for Merlotte's to fit in here... three times. The floors were so shiny that I could see my reflection … and they are made of the prettiest oak wood! The oak wood floor goes from the kitchen, the dining room, and into the sun room. The dining room table has to seat at least sixteen people. I don't even have sixteen friends that I can invite over and cook for. I can't even think of sixteen people that would accept an invitation from me to come over for dinner or any other meal for that matter.

Oh and the sun room; uh-oh.

"Can we do something about these windows? We can't have these here. We could get them tinted so that the sun can't come through. Oh! Maybe we can get the windows done to look as if the sun is shining? Can we do that?" I look at Mustapha.

He smiles. "Yes, we can get that done."

He said something that I didn't hear. My mind is preoccupied on this room. "My vampires can't stay here with the sun coming through like this." I stand in the middle of the room with the ugly wicker furniture and shake my head with my hands on my hips. "Nope; this will not do."

He continues to smile. "Yes, ma'am."

"Sookie; you can call me Sookie. I've told you that before," I said as we go into the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am. I mean Sookie."

"That's better."

As we walk through the house, I tell Mustapha that the windows in the sun room and the living room have to be taken care of as soon as possible. "I love the windows and I'd hate to get rid of them. Is there any way that we can still make the room look sunny without it being sunny and keep the windows?"

"Yes …Sookie. We can have the contractors look into taking care of tinting the windows. We can have someone come in and make it a sun room without it really being a sun room."

I turn around and look at him. "That would be great. It may be fake but at least they can pretend to be in the sun. Please, will you get that done?"

He nods and continues to follow me. "I'll make the call this evening."

"Thank you."

As I stand in the doorway of the kitchen, I say, "I am in love." I turn around and look at Mustapha and smile. "I am hopelessly and totally in love."

The kitchen has two dishwashers, an ice maker, Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer; whatever that means, and a 6-burner Viking range; whatever that means. There is a double oven unit in the wall. There are two sinks and a huge window over them. While I am looking at the cabinet space and admiring the huge closet that is supposed to be a pantry, Mustapha is telling me all about the appliances that I have access to. He tells me that the countertops are made of real granite and that the baby sink that sits in the island is called a vegetable sink. He is as excited as I am. As a surprise, I'm going to have to cook him breakfast one morning …a great big breakfast.

"You are going to love cooking in here," he said.

"I will. You're going to have to have breakfast with me sometimes since we're going to be together all of the time. We can't eat out with a kitchen like this. There is absolutely no justification in it. I hope that you can cook." I slap him playfully on his arm as I walk past him.

He is happy because I can see that his colors are the brightest pink. "I can and I'd love to."

Together, we walk through the rest of the house. The upstairs is just as impressive. There are five bedrooms. The master bedroom is gorgeous. There is a bed sitting in the middle of the floor that looks like two king sized beds. It takes all of the self control that I have not to run and jump up and down on it. I keep my excitement contained as I explore the rest of the room. Thinking that I am about to enter another room, I open doors that lead to one of the hugest closets I've ever seen. There is another door. I am going to faint dead away if it's another closet. Sadly, it is not. When I open the door, my heart breaks.

It's a nursery. It's white and yellow. There are two baby cribs and bassinets in this room. There are changing tables and mobiles. There are two rocking chairs facing a big bay window. There are two rocking horses with beautiful brown and yellow yarn manes. There's a mural of a pond painted on the wall. Baby ducks are following the mommy and daddy duck happily across the pond.

As I look around, only one thing comes to mind. This room has to go. It will not do. It will cause problems with Eric. I say that because I know him. He will believe that I want this room because I want children …something that he cannot give me. I have to wonder if Eric has ever been in this house. I turn to look at Mustapha.

"Has Eric ever been here?"

"Yes and no. He's seen the outside of it. He only bought the house because of Pam. She fell in love with it. After he bought it, she decided that she no longer wanted it. They decided to rent it out. They haven't been here since the first time they saw it." Mustapha leaned against the wall as he continued to speak. "From my understanding, the house was out here all alone; since 1917 actually. Eric decided to buy the entire area and turn it into a gated community. The rest is history." He threw his arms out by his side as he made his last statement.

Without looking at Mustapha, I said, "I want this room gone ...today. This is the first room that I want to have changed. I want to turn it into an office for Eric. I want not one reminder that this room was ever here. If there are any other rooms that look like there were children here, I want them gone. Please."

"As you wish," he whispers.

"Can you call someone to see if they start on this today?"

Mustapha pulls out his phone and makes a call. Within fifteen minutes, there is a truck driving around to the back of the house. Mustapha tells me that he will return. Before he leaves, I let him know that I'm going to continue looking around the house.

A little ways down the hall there is are three more bedrooms and an exercise room and next door to it, there's a sitting room with millions of blu rays sitting prettily on shelves. There is a flat screen TV that was on a wall all by itself. Jason would love this room; Superbowl Sunday. There are chairs that fill the room like a movie theater. All we need is a popcorn machine and a soda fountain and we're all set; Northman Theaters. This will be so cool when we have the others over. We are going to have so much fun.

The next room is the library. It has paneled walls and shelves of books decorate them. There is a huge desk in the middle of the floor. There are windows that reach from the floor to the ceiling with thick draperies covering them. There are leather chairs and sofas for seating. This will be an excellent room for relaxing.

While I'm reading the titles of the many books, Mustapha returns. "They can start first thing in the morning. I also told them about the windows but I let them know that it is imperative that they do the nursery first and any other room that has any semblance of children attached to it."

"Thank you for seeing to this. It's important that the room is gone before Eric moves in."

He knowingly nods. In his mind, and again without his permission, I see that he is sad for me and Eric. He wants to tell me that he is sorry and that we can possibly adopt. He wants to say that he knows that it may be hard for a vampire to get approval to adopt but there is a way. He wants to tell me that Eric can glamor a human into letting us have a child of our choosing but he said nothing. He wants nothing more than to make me feel better. He and his wife have tried for years but their children were never carried to full-term. I remember that Alcide told me that it's hard for Were couples to have babies.

I want to make Mustapha feel better. I want to tell him about adoption but I can see that was not an option for them. They wanted a child of their own. Plus, things haven't been going well with them lately. He didn't want to bring children into an unhappy home; especially when he knows that the marriage won't last too much longer.

"Is there anything else that we need to see to?"

"Is there a sleeping area for Eric?" I asked him.

"Not yet. He said that he will handle your sleeping quarters himself."

That makes sense to me. "I figured as much." I sigh and look around. Throwing my arms out to my side, I say, "Thanks for bringing me today."

He smiles. "I have enjoyed myself. Would you like to see the rest of the house? The backyard is huge and it's beautiful. There are several sheds out back. There's a beautiful gazebo and koi pond out back."

I wait for a second before I answer. I shake my head. "No; that's it. Ready?" I ask.

"There's a pool," he says. He is really trying to make me feel better. "Don't you want to see the backyard? There's so much back there for you to …"

I shake my head no. "I want to go home." I look down at my watch. It is almost one o'clock. "I want to be home when Eric rises."

As he did before we left Shreveport, Mustapha offers me his arm. "Shall we go, Sookie?"

"Yes we shall, my friend."

Mustapha and I, plus one of the Escalades from earlier, two of them stay behind with the contractors, make our way back to Shreveport. After a nice, quick meal at the Jack in the Box and listening to Adele, Randy Travis, and Lupe Fiasco (I know; weird combination right?), Mustapha takes me home.

When we pull into the driveway, he tries to beat me to the passenger side door but he isn't quick enough. By the time he reaches me, I am out of the car and walking towards the home that Eric and I share... even if it is just for a little while. No matter what, it's still our home.

When I have the front door open, Mustapha tells me that he enjoyed the day with me. "You are a lot easier to get along with than Pam led me to believe." He seems to be proud of sharing that bit of information with me.

I look at him and shake my head. "What did you think that I would do to you?" I kick my shoes off as I wait for him to tell me that he thought that I would get him killed. I would like to say for the record that I did not intentionally kill anyone …well, not most of them; just a couple …maybe a few but they messed with me or mine first.

He shrugs his shoulder and leans his head just a little to the right. "Well, your track record isn't really the best. Pam told me not to expect to live through the day." He chuckles. "I kind of believed her considering …"

"My track record?" I ask.

"All that matters is that I lived and most importantly, so did you. Take care, Sookie and I'll see you." He opens the door for me and waits for me to step inside.

"Are you coming back tonight?"

He said nothing. He gives me a slight nod and gives me the grin of a serial killer.

"Good night, Mustapha," I said as I close the door.

Before I have a chance to relax on the couch and watch a little Anderson Cooper, there is a knock at the door. I look at the clock. Three o'clock; at least I know it's not a vampire. It can't be anyone bad because they never would have made it to the door. Just to be on the safe side, I drop my shields and I listen before I answer.

"It can't be," I whisper.

I throw the door open and hold my breath. When I see him, I exhale and smile.

There he is smiling at me. He smells like everything sweet. I've been missing him so much. There are some days when I crave his company. "Grandpa," I said.

He smiles and wraps his warm arms around me. I hug him as tightly as I possibly can. Stepping away from me with his hands gently on my shoulders, he says, "We have a lot of catching up to do, my dearest. I hear that you're getting married."

With love flowing through my heart with just the idea of marrying Eric, I nod enthusiastically at Niall. "Yes, I am. I am going to truly be Mrs. Eric Northman." I puff my chest up and smile broadly.

Niall places his hand gently on top of mine. Before he speaks, he moves in closer to me and looks into my eyes. From the look that he's giving me, I know that he wants to make sure that I get the full meaning of what he has to say. "You know that I love you."

"And I love you." I never knew that until just now. I've never said it until now.

Holding my hand tighter, he said, "There are things that have been done to protect you. You must know that they were never done to hurt you. The best of intentions were thought of and used at all times."

Oh God.

I try to pull my hand from Niall's but he won't let go.

One thing I've learned in my life is that everything is done with the best of intentions. I look at Niall and don't speak. I can't wipe that stupid grin off of my face either. My face is going to be frozen with a stupid smile plastered to it for the rest of my life. When I die, I'll be in my coffin looking like this. I want to ask him what he's talking about but I can't. I raise my eyebrows; giving him the go ahead and speak signal.

Thankfully, he understands.

"If you're going to marry Eric, there are things that you should know. You should know the truth about your relationship with the vampire. You should know how it truly came to be."

Another perfect ending to another perfect day


	22. Chapter 22

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 22**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I appreciate the alerts and the favorites for the story and the private messages have been outstanding. The time that you give to me and to this story is just wonderful. I can't thank you enough. I love the rants and the raves. I love the likes and the dislikes. If you find a mistake, please let me know. I will do my best to fix it. You all are the absolute best and your reviews keep me on my toes.**

**This chapter will be told as if the conversation between Niall and Claudine is happening in the present. I also decided to put my own spin on how Eric found out about Bill and how he knew to stop Andre from bonding to Sookie. I think that it was much more than feeling her fear when Andre was trying to force her to drink from him. I even added a little extra to our dearly departed Claudine because she knew that something was going to happen in Rhodes before it happened. I'd always wondered how she knew. There had to be something else to Claudine that we didn't know about.**

**As I've stated in past and future chapters (even the ones I've forgotten to include with the disclaimer) each chapter has the wonderful characters from the SSVM books and they belong to Ms. Harris. They're just my playmates for the time being.**

**Please enjoy and don't hesitate to tell me what you think.**

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><p>Niall looked at Claudine as if she had grown another head. He couldn't believe what she was proposing …and at the dinner table nonetheless. It had to have been a serious issue for her to break a family rule.<p>

When she'd approached him a few days earlier with her revelation, he'd told her to handle it. He had complete faith in her at that time but now... he had to wonder. He had no idea that she would come up with such a nonsensical plan as the one that she had come to him with. He told her how he felt about the issue earlier and that was that. he thought that she'd understood when he said he wanted to hear nothing else about it but apparently, she hadn't.

Niall continued to eat his dinner as Claudine kept pleading her case. It kind of amused him to see her taking a stand; defying his rules. She was normally a very obedient young fae. He'd never had any problems with her before. For her to be as adamant as she is, he knew that she would not let it go. She couldn't. It was important to her. He'd always taught them to stand their ground, plead their case and lo and behold, Claudine was doing just that. He sighed as he took a swallow of his soup. He wasn't surprised. She was fighting for what she wants. His thoughts then went to his grandson. He sighed even heavier when he thought of Claude.

"You have no other choice grandfather," Claudine said to Niall. "He is our only hope of saving her. You have known him for many years and you've called upon him to help you with other things. You can certainly call on him to help us with this."

Claudine looked at Niall as if she couldn't believe that he wouldn't even consider her idea. She didn't tear her eyes away from his face. She could tell that he didn't want to even think of turning to Eric Northman but he really had no choice. And she was determined to make him see things her way.

"I mean no disrespect grandfather but you trusted me with her life and now you must do as I ask of you. You must continue to trust me. I would never put her in harm's way."

Calmly, Niall looked at his granddaughter as she sat across from him at the dinner table. He knew deep down that she was right but there was only one thing that he could think of at that moment. She knew how much he hated to speak of business during the family meals. Dinner was supposed to be their time to relax. Dealing with fae issues has always been a bother and he treasured this time. Claudine knew of the punishment for such disobedience; regardless of the issues. Because she is his granddaughter and he has always been partial to her, he would ignore her disobedience this once but he had to admit, he's always admired her gumption.

Taking his napkin, he dabbed at the corners of his mouth. "Claudine, you know that I do not like to discuss such things during dinner. This can wait until after …"

Claudine stood rather abruptly; almost knocking her chair to the floor. "No grandfather; this cannot and will not wait! You have put us all in danger to save her and now you won't listen to what I have to say? You wanted her found. We did as you asked. When Claude found that Fintan was being tracked, he killed his own kin to keep Fintan's secret safe. Claudette killed many as they tried to leave the realm to follow Fintan. When Fintan was killed, we killed many of the betrayers of the House of Brigant; silently. We did as you asked. Now, you have to do this for me! You have to! She is leaving to go to Rhodes in two days. I've been explaining to you for hours what is being planned for her and the vampires. You cannot let her go there blindly; unprotected. I have seen her death, grandfather. If we don't stop it, she will die!"

From the look on her face, she knew that she had crossed the line but she did what she had to do. She didn't back down. She wasn't going to back down. She has never spoken to her grandfather in such a manner but there was no time to think of the consequences. They did not matter right. He has seen that she is right. It will just take some time. She was not going to back down from him. When she had her visions, she saw her grandfather's reaction. When the vision first appeared, she knew that she could handle it. It was easier to say that she could handle his reaction when it was only a vision. She didn't think of how it would be in reality. It is what it is. It was his doing and this was also his burden to carry.

He knew the dangers of sending her, Claude, and Claudette to the earthly realm to look after a human; a human that he had never met or knew nothing about. He knew that if the others found out what his grandchildren were doing that they would have been killed instantly. But Niall didn't care about his fae kin. It was all about saving the human. To order a fae to die while protecting a human was blasphemy.

When her grandfather came to her, it never once crossed her mind to deny him. She wanted to but she couldn't. She loves him plus she had her own hidden agenda. She wanted to become an angel and if protecting a human was the only way she was going to do it, then so be it. At the time, she did not feel that any human deserved the protection of her kin. She did not care that she and this human shared blood. She was an unknown. She was of mixed race. This Stackhouse creature was not the one as Niall believed her to be; the one with the essential spark. She was not the one that would save the race of the fae. It wasn't possible. Humans were useless and only out for themselves. She'd never met a human who wasn't. Claudine had always believed that; until she'd met Sookie. The one thing that Claudine learned from her grandfather is that a Brigant is never afraid to admit when they're wrong.

She was wrong.

Sookie is the most unselfish being she's ever met. She sacrifices her own happiness for everyone else's. She is alone because she is afraid of who and what she is. Claudine grew to like the human. It was more than that. She loves Sookie. She never expected to but she does and she has to do whatever is necessary to make sure that her cousin, her family, is safe. There were things that were going to take place that would change everything. Claudine knew that she couldn't stop those things but she could at least make some type of effort. She knew of someone who could stop them …someone that would be willing to help.

"Grandfather, please forgive me but you have to help me." Tears began to form in Claudine's eyes. "I've foreseen the dangers that she faces there. If I could grandfather, I would go but I cannot. If things happen as I've seen, she will be no more. Your chosen one will fade into that good night. We will have to walk a path that is unknown if she dies." Kneeling before Niall and bowing her head to him, she continued to speak. "I have never asked you for anything but I beg you for this. Please, help me."

Everything else left the Prince's mind at that moment; the disrespect, the disobedience, the defiance. Niall began to stroke his granddaughter's hair as she kneeled before him. Niall could tell from Claudine's aura that she does love her cousin and that she was only doing what she felt was best for Sookie. Claudine has never been fickle as her brother is or as her sister was. He knew that he could trust her to be level headed. He knew that he could always depend on her to follow her head and not her heart but now, he has to wonder.

"You have a big heart, my child. Stand," he said to her.

Claudine stood as her grandfather ordered. Her flawless face was filled with concern and grief. The weight of the pending Rhodes trip was heavy in her eyes. Niall saw all that he needed to see. She was thinking with her head. Taking her by her hand, he walked his granddaughter to his private chambers. He led her to the window seat that faced his favorite garden. The flowers have always calmed him. Once they were seated, Niall began to address Claudine's concerns.

"Why do you feel that we can trust the Viking, my child?"

Her eyes lit up with that one question. "Grandfather, I have seen what I've never expected to see in my lifetime." Standing up and with her hands clasped underneath her chin and with a smile on her face, Claudine twirled around as if she were a ballerina. She said, "He loves her. Oh grandfather, he truly loves her. You should see the look in his eyes when he sees her. You can see that his every thought is of her. He's done things for her that Bill has never even considered." When she turned back to face her grandfather, the smile was still there. "It's beautiful."

Niall smiled when he saw the lovelorn look on her face. Claudine has always believed in love; not for herself sadly but always for others. She has always said that love was not meant for her. She has seen far more than her young eyes should see. She has had many prominent fae warriors courting her but alas; she turned them all away. She said that none of them were worthy of her time. She was only looking for one that would father her child; the bravest of the fae, the most honorable. Not for the one that would love her; even if for a short time. She couldn't bear to think of the pain that her death would cause her one true love. The very thought broke Niall's heart.

Claudine could feel her grandfather's sadness for her. She didn't need for anyone to feel sorry for her. She'd accepted her fate. She pretended to act as if she had forgotten herself. "I don't mean to be such a child but it's amazing to see. We've always been taught that vampires can't love anyone; especially our kind. They have not met Eric and Sookie. If they did, they would know that they are wrong."

Niall shook his head at Claudine's absurd statement. She was not only acting like a child but she was thinking as one. "They can't love our kind. It is not possible. Even those of us with the slightest amount of fae blood are in danger. He cannot love her. It's the blood my child. If it's not the blood then it's the telepathy. It's not her. Vampires are not capable of loving anyone but themselves."

"No, grandfather," she said as she sat beside him and took his hands into hers. "You haven't seen them. There was a time when he had never tasted her blood and he was protective of her. There are others that have said that when she was Bill's, Eric was there for her. He protected her. He ordered others to protect and watch over her. When he'd lost his memories, he knew of her ability and he never thought to use it. When he got his memories back, he didn't use her skills. It's not the blood or her telepathy grandfather. It is she that he loves. You must see."

Claudine took Niall's hand and in doing so, she showed him the images of the Viking and the fae. Niall saw how Bill stepped away when Long Shadow attacked Sookie. He saw how Eric stepped forward and killed her attacker. He saw that he could've attacked her while she was covered in Long Shadow's blood but he did not. He was able to compose himself.

Niall was able to see the protection that Eric gave to Sookie while they were in Dallas. He also saw how he tricked her into taking in his blood. He determined at that very moment that he and the Viking would discuss that bit of treachery when they meet ...or maybe not. It would benefit in protecting her; IF that is what he decided to do.

The next vision that Niall was able to see was the staking of his granddaughter in Jackson. He could feel her pain and he could hear her screams as if he were there with her at that precise moment. He could feel the calm that Eric gave to her as he held her hand. He could feel Sookie releasing her will to Eric. Any other vampire would have taken advantage of that but he did not. He could see that Eric has some feelings Sookie. At that time it was all that Niall was willing to admit to.

Taking his hand from Claudine, he said in a voice that he used for others; not her, never for her. "I see that you've been keeping things from me, dear one. When did she suffer such an attack? Why was I never notified of this?"

Claudine looked up at her grandfather. "Fintan could not stop it. This took place in a vampire and Were bar in Jackson. There was no way for him, or any of us for that matter, to interfere. We would have been seen by Fintan. Our scent would have made us known to the vampires and they would all wonder why faeries are trying to save the life of a mere human. There was nothing that we could do. Anyway, it had to happen. It was foreseen."

Niall looked at Claudine and said, "Regardless, I should have been called upon." Niall stood before the window that looked out into the garden that he tended to everyday. "Why was she there?"

"Compton," Claudine whispered. She squeezed her eyes closed as she said the traitor's name.

"Compton," Niall whispered.

Niall did not turn to face Claudine. He didn't have to. She knew how he felt about Bill. He wanted to kill him after the debacle he put Sookie through in New Orleans. Now that he'd seen that Sookie had been staked because of him, there's no telling what Niall would do to him.

"You can't harm him. He will be of use when it matters. You know what is to be. I've shown you Neave and Lochlan. We need him, grandfather."

In a tight and strained voice, Niall said to Claudine, "You may finish."

As she took her grandfather's hand, Claudine decided to only show her grandfather what he needed to see; the relationship between Eric and Sookie. When she took his hand, she showed him how they lived as one when the witches took the Viking's memories. She showed him the laughing, the talking, and the loving. She showed him the friendship that they shared. She showed him more of their love. She showed him that the vampire was jealous of Quinn and did not trust him; which is the right instinct for him to have. Claudine wanted her grandfather to see that the Viking is their last chance. He just had to see it. Because she was determined to show him everything, Claudine ended up showing her grandfather too much.

"So, it _was_ you?"

Claudine realized what she'd shown her grandfather and she didn't know what to say. She could only look at him; startled. She wanted to tell him why she'd done it but the words wouldn't come to her. She didn't do it to be sneaky. She did it because she had no choice. If she hadn't, Sookie would never have made it back to Bon Temps. Claude said that it was best to let things happen naturally. He told her that she couldn't tell Sookie what was to be. She decided that Claude was right. She wasn't going to tell Sookie a thing. She was never told that she couldn't have someone else tell her.

He must have seen the fear on her face because Niall started to laugh. He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Do not fear, my child. You have done nothing wrong. She needed to know."

Claudine looked at her grandfather and she was relieved. She continued to let her grandfather see what she'd done. She was the one that told Eric about the Queen's plan to claim Sookie as her own. She was the one that told Eric the reason for Bill's sudden move to Bon Temps. Well, she had him told about the queen's plan. They had an ally on their side; a friend of the family. He made sure that the vampire would find out. Desmond has always been a friend to the vampires but his loyalties were truly with the fae and to Sookie. Fintan was his best friend. He would do anything to keep Sookie safe. After all, he blessed Sookie with the gift of telepathy. There was no way that he would betray his goddaughter. He would never have allowed her to live the life of a slave to the vampire queen.

The night that Claudine called him, he was taking Sookie to New Orleans. "Have you made the arrangements for Eric to meet you before she meets with the queen?"

"He has been notified. Diantha left a message with his day man to have Mr. Northman call her as soon as he rises from his …slumber. He will be here before Sookie goes to meet with the queen. Fear not my dear fae; all is well."

Unfortunately, Sookie had been attacked the night that she was to see the queen. Fortunately, that didn't stop her from finding out about the real Bill Compton. Eric was able to get to her in time to tell her the truth.

"Fear not my love, you did well," Niall said.

Claudine loved nothing more than to please her grandfather. When there were no more visions to show Niall (after she'd carefully filtered through what he needed to see), Claudine began to speak as she clapped her hands together from excitement; triumph.

"Can't you see it? He loves her. Did you see how hurt he was when he was the reason that she had to hear of Bill's betrayal? He hated that she had to find out through him but in the end, he would have had it no other way. She could not see it but his heart was torn. He didn't want to tell her but he knew that he had to. He didn't want to see her hurt but he knew that it was for the best. Do you see?" She knew that he was going to do as she asked. Foreseen or not, she was as happy as she would be if she had not known that he would side with her.

Niall still did not trust the Viking. He did not trust any vampire for that matter; especially when it came to his granddaughters. He has been around long enough to see what they can do and what they will do. They have captured, made love to and drained many of the fae women. He knows that they are not worthy of their kind but he could not dispute what he had seen. He saw the love that the vampire and the fae share. He saw how they were before and after he'd lost his memories. Nothing had changed between them. They are not only lovers but they are friends; best friends. It's as if they depend on one another. He saw that the vampire would protect his granddaughter. Even though he did not want to see it, he saw the love. He also knew that he had to see this in person. Vampires are sneaky creatures. But he had to admit that what he did see softened his heart to Claudine's plight.

"He makes her happy, grandfather. She deserves happiness. Her life has been nothing more than heartache and grief. We can give her more than that. We can give her a future filled with so much more. I've shown you what will happen if we do this. They could live the impossible." With tears falling from her eyes, she squeezed Niall's hands. "We can bring them together. Please, help me. You love her. I love her. If we didn't, what are we doing this? I have shown you what is to be, grandfather. We owe this to her."

Niall knew what was to come but not when it was to come. Claudine's ability to see into the future had its limitations and they worked hard with what they had. He had done all that he could to try and protect Sookie but at that moment he realized that Claudine was right. They could not protect her alone. Claudine has the ability to foresee the future but in some instances, there was no way to determine when the danger would appear. They needed the help of the vampire. If only Eric could assist him in protecting Claudine.

"If it were fated, you would make a fantastic leader."

"Thank you, grandfather. I, too, have always believed that to be true."

She smiled at her attempt at a joke but it didn't reach her eyes. Claudine looked out into the distance. She saw her fate and the fate of her unborn child. She knew that her time was near. She tried to be as strong as her grandmother had been when her time came. She was not. She wanted to feel her child grow inside of her. She wanted to see her child grow into a beautiful and strong young Brigant. She wanted to be a mother. She wanted to braid her daughter's hair. She wanted to be the one to teach her the life of the fae. She did not want her child to be born to another …a human. She didn't want that but she knew that Niall knew what was best. Niall would never betray her or Sookie. Her only concern now was for Sookie. If Sookie didn't live, all would be lost.

"You have told no one of the fates, have you?"

"Only you, my prince; I only report to you."

"You have told no one of the baby?"

"I have not. It is not time."

"All is quiet," Niall said as he stared into his granddaughter's chocolate brown eyes.

"All is quiet," Claudine repeated in a soft voice.

Taking his granddaughter into his arms, Niall said, "I will do as you ask of me; though I can imagine that you already knew that I would." Looking out at his garden, Niall said under his breath, "My dearest Claudine ...I love you the most."

The scent of Claudine's tears filled the room. Her love and her happiness was all that Niall has ever wanted.

"Thank you so much, grandfather."

"I will have Jollie call the Viking. We will meet with him tonight."

"What about my …"

"Don't worry. I will mask your scent. You will be safe."

Over and over again Claudine said thank you. "I've never doubted that you would keep me safe. Thank you, grandfather; you are truly a prince, even without the title."

He laughed and said, "Now go and change in attire that is befitting a Brigant. You are a lady-in-waiting and should dress as such. I can't stand to see you dressed in dungarees and that thing called a t-shirt. Cordelia will have your dress ready for you once you've reached your room. Please, shower. The smell of that shifter bar turns my stomach."

Claudine laughed. "You know I love my jeans and t-shirts, grandfather. They are comfortable. And hamburgers are delicious; especially with cheese and lettuce. You should try one."

Niall snorted at both suggestions. "If they are anything, they are atrocious. You Brigant women have been in the earthly realm a little longer than I like. Your clothing and food choices leave much to be desired." Kissing her head, Niall said, "Change and meet me at the portal upon my calling."

Claudine bowed to her grandfather. She didn't even travel the normal fae route to get to her room. No popping; instead, she skipped. She had saved her cousin's life. Even though her own life was in jeopardy, she didn't care. She'd lived for over six hundred years. Her only regret would be the baby. How she wanted to see her daughter grow up. Even that thought didn't break her joy. Niall said that he would take care of everything.

Niall always takes care of everything.

The faeries stood in the woods outside of the vampire bar. Niall looked disgusted. Claudine looked intrigued. She had always wanted to go to a vampire bar but she'd never been able to. Her scent would have been the death of her. She loved to flirt with danger, not sleep with it. Though she did flirt with them, dead men have never been her desire. They were appealing in a sinister sort of way but that was as far as she wanted to take it. She surely didn't want to be drained. But now that she was with Niall and her scent was masked to the vampires, she knew that she would be able to see the inside of a vampire bar and get close enough to actually look into a vampire's eyes. Who would a little flirting hurt? After all, this was her only chance to be able to do it. Why not take a chance?

"This hovel, this bar …this is the Northman's place of business? Sookie comes here?"

Claudine nodded. "Isn't it fascinating? I've always wanted to come here."

Claudine began to walk forward but Niall stopped her in her tracks. "You will not enter that bar. You will stay by my side."

Claudine looked heartbroken as she turned to look at Niall. "But you've masked my scent. I can go in without being known. I just want to look around. You said that …"

Niall raised his hand and Claudine stopped speaking instantly. "I will say no more."

She curtsied and returned to her grandfather's side. "Yes sir."

Smoothing down her hair and the front of her dress, she sighed. Niall told Claudine how beautiful she looked. "You're gorgeous. The burlap and the cotton have never done you justice." Upon taking her hand, the two faeries popped into the vampire's office.

Eric was sitting at his desk when he was bombarded by the faeries. He knew that they were coming but he didn't know that they would be entering his office in that manner. Eric instantly went on the defensive. His fangs were drawn and his hands were clawed. The Viking was ready for battle. His growl was rumbling deep in chest and he was hungry.

Because Pam could sense his anger, she came into the room and was in the same posture as her maker. When Eric had retracted his fangs and was no longer on the defensive, Pam was still ready for a fight. She loved to battle. It didn't matter who the potential victims were just so long as she was able to drain someone.

"Should I kill them?" she asked Eric as she licked her lips. She remembered Claudine from the witch war; the tall, beautiful petit four, mmmmm.

Claudine and Niall looked at each other and laughed. When they opened their mouths, their normally beautiful white teeth had been replaced with abnormally sharp silver ones. The fact that they displayed them so freely showed the vampires that the faeries were just as willing to use them. In Niall's hand, a ball of fire suddenly appeared. He kept his eyes on the vampires as the fire hovered over his hand. He'd made ash of plenty of vampires in his lifetime. He wasn't afraid to do it again.

Claudine sat demurely on the couch; never taking her eyes off of the female vampire. "You could try. You would not succeed." Pulling her thick, wavy brown hair into a false ponytail, she wanted Pam to see that she was ready for her. Her neck was adorned with a silver choker that covered her neck completely. She let her fingers stroke the jewel delicately and deliberately. "Come on; let's see how far you get."

Niall sat by his granddaughter and patted her hand. "Now, now dearest, we must be on our best behavior. Plus, you must remember that she's a vampire. She doesn't realize that she doesn't stand a chance." Niall looked at Pam as if she were a clone of Bubba. "She doesn't know any better."

"Obviously," Claudine said as she crossed her legs and let her hair fall down her back.

"You will not insult my child. She is wise beyond her years and very capable of ending either of you. Your arrogance will be the death of you." Eric quietly walked back to his seat and said, "If not for your silver, you would be already dead. So obviously, you two did the right thing. You knew better. I would also think that since you have approached me for my help, you would be a bit more gracious than the normally arrogant beings that you are."

The faeries look from one another and then at the vampires. Simultaneously, they said, "Please. accept our apologies."

Pam relaxed and Eric accepted the apologies of the insincere fae on behalf of himself and Pam. He looked at Pam and told her that she could go. "If I need you, I will call for you."

She looked at the faeries and back at her master. "Fucking faeries," she mumbled under her breath. "I will not be far." Pam left the room reluctantly as she slammed the door behind her.

The faeries watched the Viking as he took his seat. As Niall watched Eric, he did not see the vampire that he so despised. He saw he saw Eric for what he was and is; a warrior and a protector for Sookie. Claudine saw much more. She saw the love of Sookie's life. She saw her cousin's best friend. She saw an amazing man that was capable of accomplishing many, many things. They would be unstoppable. As she watched the vampire, his voice interrupted her thoughts.

Eric stared at Claudine. She is beautiful but that was not his reason for staring at her. He'd seen her before but couldn't remember when. Not knowing where or when he'd seen her didn't bother him. Knowing that she'd been with Sookie was enough to make him wonder why she was around Sookie. He knew that the fae did not want to be known to humans or anyone else. For them to be around Sookie, they had to have an agenda. "You are kin of the prince?" Eric asked Claudine.

She elegantly nodded her head.

Tearing his eyes away from her, Eric turned his attentions to Niall. "Why have you come to me? We have no more ties, Brigant. I have killed none of your kin. We are no longer at war. You are no longer in my debt. I am no longer in yours. And knowing you as I do, I know that this is not a friendly visit. What favor do you ask of me?"

Claudine whispered, "He has an idea; he just won't say it. He believes that he's protecting her from us."

Niall was amused by the vampire's demeanor. Niall had decided that he was going to only say his great-granddaughter's name. He wanted to see the reaction that the vampire would have once he found out that Niall knew about Sookie. He wanted to see if he would be as calm and as relaxed as he was before. Vampires have always been capable of deceiving others by keeping a calm demeanor. He couldn't wait to see his reaction when he found out that Sookie is his kin.

"Sookie Stackhouse."

No emotion was on the vampire's face. It was as if stone and ice had collided and the outcome was the face of Eric Northman. His body tensed. His anger was evident as the faeries stared into his cold, blue eyes. They never flinched as the anger inside of him built to almost volcanic proportions. In the minds of the faeries, a vampire's eyes had never looked deadlier. They each had slight smiles on their faces.

"She is mine."

Claudine's smile broadened.

Niall laughed. He began to speak. "From my understanding, she belongs to no one and she has informed you of such. Is she not dating the were-tiger known as Quinn?"

Eric leaned forward in his seat and said, "Only because I don't remember our time together is she with him. She was mine and she will be mine again." Eric looked thoughtfully at the fae. "Why are you so concerned with Ms. Stackhouse? What interest do you have in her?"

Niall kept his eyes on the vampire. "Claudine, the floor is yours."

Claudine began to tell Eric the reason for their visit. "There is danger awaiting her in Rhodes. You will have to stay close to her. I have foreseen her violation and her death." Without realizing it, Claudine was sitting on the edge of Eric's desk; Niall behind her. "Your queen's child will try to bond Sookie to him and to your queen. They will succeed if you don't intervene. You two have shared blood before. You will be able to sense her fear and her anger when he is about to stake his claim to her. Don't just sense it; act upon it."

Eric stared at Claudine. He was lost in her words, her beauty, and suddenly her touch.

With her hand resting on his, she showed him Sookie's fate. "This is what she will face if you don't help us."

The vision showed Eric a Sookie that he had never seen before; one that he never wanted to see; frightened, broken, eyes deadened. Soul and life faded from her. Andre had taken Sookie in the entrance hall. She could not fight him and no one would help her. They turned their heads as if they didn't see. Sookie called for Eric. Andre called to Sophie Ann to keep the Viking away. He made Sophie Ann believe that Sookie was reading a human and could not be distracted. Sophie Ann made Eric stay by her side.

"After Andre has bonded Sookie to them, a disaster will take place that will claim many lives; humans and vampires. I can't foresee who has planned this attack or when it will take place but Andre has to be stopped. If Sookie is protected, many will not die. If she is not, there is no hope. Your queen and her boy will not allow Sookie to be away from them. The attack will kill her instantly. You, Pam, Bill, and countless others will meet their demise. You are her only hope. You are _your_ only hope."

"You can stop this! You can stop her from going! You have to make her stay in Bon Temps!"

The vampire's reaction took Niall by surprise. Eric did not seem to hear what Claudine said. They all would die. He was only thinking that Sookie should be made to stay behind. He never once said that they needed to cancel the Rhodes trips. He never once called to his child to tell her to call the queen and warn her. His only thoughts were of Sookie staying behind in Bon Temps.

Looking down at Eric with a smile on her face, she sadly shook her head. "I've tried. She said that she has given her word and she will not go back on it. Her word has always been her bond. She will break it for no one. Plus, she needs the money."

"She's too proud," Eric said under his breath. He would give her anything that she wanted. She needed to only tell him.

With her hand still resting on Eric's, Claudine and Niall began to slowly step away. Once the tips of her fingers were no longer resting on his hand, Eric snapped out of the trance. His eyes were no longer icy. The stony look that was on his face is now gone. His face was filled with fear. They were filled with sadness. He could not release the images of Sookie's face from his mind when no one came to her rescue. Her fear had grasped his heart.

Claudine's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Will you help me?"

Eric stood from his seat quickly. "Anything; I will do anything for Sookie. She has always come first."

Niall saw it. He had no choice but to believe that the Viking really loves Sookie. He could see it. Not fifteen minutes ago, the Viking's eyes were as cold and as hard as death. The mere mention of Sookie being in danger had softened his eyes and his heart. Niall had seen what he had never expected to see in his thousands of years. The vampire loves the fae.

"You love her," Niall said more to himself than to Eric.

Without a thought, Eric said, "Yes." Eric then looked at Claudine. "When will Andre try to stake claim to Sookie?"

"I do not know. I know of a wedding between two vampires; Russell and Bart. He will try to force her to feed from him then. He will be impressed with her telepathic skills and try to harness them for Sophie Ann's use only. The queen is not aware of his plan but she will not stop him once he puts his plan into motion. It happens whenever this wedding takes place."

"I give you my word."

Claudine smiled at Eric. "I am in your debt."

"Truly?" he asked her.

"Truly," she answered as she nodded.

Quizzically, Eric asked, "Why would you come to me for help?"

"You've helped her before because of me." Claudine only stared at Eric.

Eric looked at Claudine and his face went blank. "Bill?" he finally asked.

She nodded.

Eric just stared straight ahead.

"Is that all that you have to ask of me?" she asked him. She didn't mean to sound so surprised. Vampires usually want more. Northman truly was like no other vampire.

"Why are you and Brigant, the prince of the fae, worried about the life of a human? Is her telepathy of interest to you? Do you plan on taking her as your own?"

Claudine didn't speak. That was a question for her grandfather to answer. They all vowed to never speak of her heritage outside of the family. Before Niall answered, he and Claudine arose from the couch and held each other's hand.

Niall said, "Her telepathy matter's not to us but it does make her more than the rest of her kin. She has the essential spark that makes her so much more than any of her kind. She's the only Brigant and fae that's telepathic." The faeries faded from the vampire's view. They did not leave the office. They were intrigued with Eric. They wanted to know his reaction to finding out that Sookie is a Brigant; a member of the royal fae family. What they saw surprised them both in different ways.

Eric leaned back in his seat and propped his feet upon his desk as he crossed his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes and smiled. The faeries looked at each other. His smile was not a regular smile. It was a smile of triumph. Niall was about to make his presence known once again. He was going to let Eric know that he was just as he expected all vampires to be; a leech, not capable of loving anyone but themselves. Claudine stopped him and let her grandfather see Eric's intentions.

The fact that Sookie is a Brigant, a member of the royal family, never entered his mind. He didn't give a shit about that. He was devising a plan. The fact that he had to save Sookie was all that he cared about and knowing about their time together when he'd lost his memory. He wanted to know if she loved him then and if she loves him now. He wanted to know if he occupies her every thought as she does his. Maybe if he saved her, the memories of their time together would return. He would know why he loves her so much. He would understand why this woman was so irritating to him and intriguing all at the same time. He would understand why he drops everything and everyone with just one call of her voice. He would know why her face is the first thing that he wants to see when he rises. He would know why her voice is the last thing that he wants to hear before he goes to ground.

Just as he stood up from his desk, an instant of realization hit him dead in the face. The memories didn't matter. They would never have to return. He knew that he would love her anyway. He's always loved her. He knew that he was going to love her until he met the final death.

Before they popped from the room, Claudine squeezed Niall's hand. "I told you. He loves her."

"The vampire is truly a good man." Niall looked at Eric; surprised for the second time in one night by a vampire. "The vampire really loves her."

**A/N: So, what do you think? Do you think that it's possible that Claudine could have warned Eric about Bill? I also have a little twist on the Quinn thing for a later chapter. Let me know. Thanks everyone.**


	23. Chapter 23

**I Remember You**

**Flashback**

**Chapter 23**

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope that you all have the best holiday season with family and friends. Please be safe and may you all be blessed with a long life and a faithful spirit. I hope that your New Year is just as amazing.**

**Thank you so much for your great reviews. Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and making this story a favorite, and signing up for the alerts. You all are absolutely wonderful. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. You will notice that I skipped over the part of Niall and Sookie's visit after she is well informed of how her relationship with Eric came to be. That will be for the next chapter.**

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><p>When I arise for the evening, I am as happy as I've ever been in my entire existence. I can honestly say that I was never this happy as a human. During that time, there was not much to be happy about; starvation, pillaging, the killings. I would have given anything to feel what I feel now. It's amazing. This is the first time ever that I've awaken with a smile on my face. There is so much joy and happiness flowing through me right now that I fill the dark bedroom with laughter.<p>

Bedroom; I never called this room a bedroom. Before Sookie moved in, it was just a space for me to go to rest. It was my chamber. The house was no more than a place to rest. Now, I have a home. Her presence has changed everything.

I begin to laugh because of my own joy, my own happiness. I have the urge to giggle like a school girl (from the mouth of Sookie Stackhouse) but that has never been an option. I have to catch myself before I giggle. I can only imagine the humiliation I'd feel if Sookie hears me; her Viking warrior, giggling? I would have no choice but to stake myself. I can see the look on her face; smug and knowing. At that precise moment, a horrifying thought comes to mind. What if she told Pam of such happenings? What if Pam told the other vampires?

During that horrifying thought, my phone begins to ring.

Speak of the devil.

I hear an unfamiliar sound when I answer my phone; Pam's happiness. "I love waking up to this. Tell my dear friend that I thank her." She laughs and hangs up. From the sound of her voice, she is going to be this way for the remainder of the night. The fangbangers will live to see another day.

I love to hear happiness in Pam's voice. It's been quite some time since Pam's felt anything other than anger and regret. She deserves happiness. I saw what Miriam did for her and I'd love to see that in her again.

Before I am able to give myself an extra moment to dwell on the past tragedies of Pamela Ravenscroft, another burst of joy comes through the bond. I laugh once again. Sookie is the most magnificent creature I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I close my eyes and relish in what she is making me feel. It is pure joy. I never again want to live without feeling her life living inside of me. I need to see her!

Without hesitation or clothes, I run upstairs to see what is making her feel so joyful. When I enter the living room, I am surprised at what I see. She is sleeping. Normally when Sookie is sleeping, I feel peacefulness but this is different. It is as if she is awake. I can hear her heart beating at a faster pace. It is almost as if she is running or even playing. The closer I get to where she is resting a distinct scent fills my nostrils. The room is scented with faery. It isn't a strong, overpowering scent. It is faint and hypnotizing. As I get a little closer to where my lover is resting, I realize that the scent is coming from her.

As easily and as gently as I can, I lift her into my arms and hold her as she sleeps. I brush the hair from her face and if I hadn't been looking at her with my own eyes, I would have sworn that she was awake. She is smiling and her eyes are moving rapidly. The smell is now just as strong as I've ever smelled it before in my life. I nuzzle her hair and I let her scent fill my nostrils. She has always been hypnotizing but this is different. She smells like no other. She doesn't smell like her other kin. She is …hypnotizing. She is more. A wave of fear instantly washes over me.

What if I attack her? When I've inhaled the delicate aroma of fae in the past, I've always fucked them to complete exhaustion and then drained them completely dry. It scares me to think that I could possibly do the same to Sookie. I place my hand to my mouth and I realize that my fangs haven't dropped. I realize that I don't have the urge to drain her. The only urge that I have is the one that I've always had when it comes to her. I want to make love to her. I want to feel her warmth wrapped around my hardness. I want to feel her arms wrapped around my neck as I grip her bottom and help her along as she rides me to freedom. I want to place my hands on her shoulders as I try my best to get as deep as I can inside of her. I want to hear her moan my name over and over again as our orgasms wash over us.

My fangs drop.

All I need is a quickie. Just a quickie and we can start over tomorrow and follow her rule then. Simple; I see no flaws in my thinking. It is feasible. A sinister smile spreads across my face as I imagine being inside of my wife. She'd enjoy it so much that she won't have the will or the power to stop me. I just need to get started on giving her what she needs ...me. I can whisper in her ear and ask her. I can nibble at her ear _while_ I ask her. That'll work wonders. What better time than now?

Before I know it, I hear her sweet southern voice. "Did you sleep well, buster?"

Out of instinct, I trace my finger over her face. With her eyes still closed, she leans into my touch. Just the slightest touch of her makes me want to kiss her. I kiss her perfect lips lightly. When I reluctantly take my mouth from hers, her beautiful eyes are on me. They see right to the soul of me. I kiss her once more. I have been ruined for any other woman. This is where I belong.

"I slept well. I hope that you are well rested …and why do you call me buster? If memory serves me correctly, you only use that term when I have been high-handed or have done some questionable things. To my recollection, I have done neither. At this particular time, I feel that I don't deserve to be called such an unsavory and quite unflattering name."

Before she answers me, she looks to the spot where she was sleeping. After she doesn't see what she's looking for, she returns her attentions back to me. "Well, buster, I can feel Mr. Happy pushing against the butt of my jeans. You are such a bad boy." She sat up just a little and teasingly returns my kiss. Sultrily she said, "I might have to punish you. Would you like that, buster?" She nibbles on my lip just a little when she asks.

She is playing with fire.

I can feel that she wants to give me pleasure but she doesn't want to break her stupid rule. While she was sleeping, only seconds ago I was willing to break that rule. Not anymore. If we are to be joined as one, the rule will be broken because of her wants, her needs. How else will I be able to keep some type of control in this relationship? I have to admit that's not the only reason I want to break her. The other reason is that I want to be able to use it to my advantage at a later date.

"You said, and I quote, _'No Sookie Nookie until we are married'_. Do you not remember that, lover?" I pretend to blow dust from my fingernails as I chuckle. I can feel her frustration …no, her agitation as I remind her of what she has requested. She hates to be proven wrong even more than I do. I am going to enjoy this. I am _really_ going to enjoy this.

"I want you to have what you want for our wedding night; a night of exploring each other bodies for the '_first_' time as man and wife. I want that for you," I said to her almost mockingly. She looks at me. She can feel the joy that I am getting from teasing her. Stealing a phrase from a human that I once knew; it is pissing her off to no end.

To my surprise, she gets up from my lap and starts taking off her shirt and unbuttoning her jeans. "I never said that I was giving you any nookie, did I buster? There are other ways to please my man. Do you want to know what those ways are, buster?" The shirt lands on something behind the couch and she kicks the jeans ...somewhere.

The GP stands to his full height when the sight of the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure of loving and exploring, presents herself to me. I begin to ache from the anticipation of being touched by her. The GP takes in the beautifully, naked body that I yearn for; the woman that I intend to love forever. My eyes lock onto the only woman that I have loved or will ever love. I reach for her; hoping that I don't look as eager as I feel.

She knows.

She walks into my open arms and her eyes are filled with love and lust. My hands are finally gripping her waist. I move ever so slowly thinking that she is going to flinch at my touch; thinking that she would start balking about that ridiculous rule; her ridiculous rule.

She doesn't move.

She doesn't balk.

My hands slowly move in the direction of her breasts. She stares down at me. Brazenly, I make my move. She let me graze her nipples with my thumbs. I work my thumbs in circular motions. She shivers at my touch and moans her satisfaction. She bites her bottom lip as she watches me. Slowly and carefully, I move to the edge of the couch. Keeping my eyes on her as I lick my lips, I take her nipples into my mouth; one at a time. She draws in her breath and throws her head back as she moans louder for me. She is feeling guilty for what she is letting me do. Various emotions are making her feel conflicted. She is wavering between making me wait and giving in to me. I know that she wants me. My sweet girl brushes the hair from my face and watches as I lick and suck on her nipples. Her faery scent is getting stronger as I make love to her nipples with my tongue.

I place my hands on her hips and pull her closer to me so that our bodies are touching. I cup her round, firm bottom. I lean my head against her stomach as I listen to her heartbeat. She looks down at me and I know that she is thinking long and hard.

Before I know it, she'd steps away from me. I stare up at her; waiting. I offer her my hand. She almost takes it but she waits. With my eyes, I plead with her to come back to me. She just stares at me. Her face is as tortured as my own. Her lust bounces back and forth between us. I can smell her sin. She can see mine. I want to shout_, 'Don't do this!_' but I sit here and say nothing. I do what I've always done when it comes to Sookie.

I wait.

I don't have to wait long. She makes her move. She places her hands on my legs as she bends down to kiss me. It feels like the first kiss every time she kisses me. I hold her face in my hands and hungrily take her mouth to mine. She slowly drops to her knees; our lip still connected, and places her body in between my legs. She moves from my lips to my chin. She moves from my chin and begins to kiss my neck as she makes her way to my chest. Sookie begins to pepper my chest with the most delicate of kisses. She stops long enough to lick and suck my nipples; which causes a growl to build deep inside of me. When she looks up at me through hooded eyes and my nipple placed gently between her teeth, she gives it a sharp bite.

After she flicks her tongue back and forth over my nipples, she asks, "Do you like that, buster?" I don't get to answer because she bites harder. She draws blood and sucks.

I groan.

"Buster, can you hear me?"

I moan her name and nod.

She begins to pepper my stomach with kisses; the GP forcefully hitting her chin. He wants to make sure that he won't be forgotten. With her hands still resting on my legs, she opens her mouth as if she's going to take all of me in at once. She doesn't. She bypasses him altogether; her breath makes him stiffen at the idea of being loved. She pretends some more. Her lips are thisclose to him but again, she ignores him. After a frustrated sigh escapes me, she grips the shaft and looks at me with her tongue sticking out but she changes her mind at the last second. She releases me and the sinister smile that I had on my face earlier, is now on hers. She moves to my legs; kissing the insides of my thighs as she looks up at me. She nips me here and there; causing me to melt all over. It only made the GP harder and makes me even more frustrated.

'What about me,' the GP yells in a silent voice.

I look at him and let him know that I feel his pain. I think, _'Yeah, what about you_?'

It is torture! What right does she have to do this to me? I am her husband. I've tolerated her no sex rule until marriage but this … she is playing with fire! I am doing everything within my power to not rip the couch cushions in half. I squeeze my fists closed and thing the words, "What the fuck!" before I realize that I'd said them out loud.

"Upset?" she asks.

"Not in the least," I say as strongly as I can; a tight grin on my face.

"Oh, okay," she said as she pretends to stand up. At least, she'd better be pretending.

What the …! She stood up! I just know that she's not going to leave me dissatisfied. I look from my tortured member to her. She looks at me and begins to take a step backward.

I sit up a little; almost jumping up from my seat. "Sookie?"

She doesn't answer. She takes another step back. She can't be walking away! I know that she is not doing that!

She said, "What? You're not upset. We're just playing around." Her voice is suddenly different. In a little girl voice that she's never used on me before, she said, "You don't want me." She places her finger at the corner of her mouth and kicks her foot back and forth. "You said that you're not upset. So, if I don't please you, it must be okay if I walk away." She begins to walk backwards and away from me.

That was enough!

"You will not leave me like this, Sookie! You cannot do this to me!"

The hurt expression is gone. She smirks at me as she returns to her original position; on her knees and in front of me. She said, "Since you're begging." The little girl voice has suddenly disappeared.

She wraps her small hands around my length and prepares to take me into in her mouth. Before she does, she uses it to trace the outline of her lips. The tip of her tongue barely grazes the head of my hardness and I loved it but I don't let her know it.

"I've never begged …"

Before she has a chance to put the GP in her mouth, she pauses. "What were you going to say, buster? Were you going to say that you've never begged for this?" She takes the head of the GP and nurses on it slowly. Her warm lips envelope the head as her tongue claims the most sensitive part for itself. I exhale from pure joy. My eyes roll so far into the back of my head that I can see my brain.

"What about this, buster?" she asks.

I brace myself.

Nothing happened.

When I open my eyes to look at Sookie, she takes her tongue and she licks the shaft of my hardness; never once putting me fully into her mouth. Soon, my hardness is glistening and throbbing; begging for some type of release. "You wouldn't beg for that?" She licks her way back to the head and places a little more of me into her mouth. "You want to."

I swallow hard. Swallowing pride always leaves a lump in my throat. I nod my head but say nothing. I fear that if I speak, I'll cum.

Sookie smiles as she proceeds to take complete control of me.

Taking me from her mouth, she begins to lick from the base of the GP to the very tip. The most satisfying sounds come from within me. There are a few lingering '_ohhhhhs_' and '_ahhhhhs_'. I think there are even a couple of _'please don't stops_' in there somewhere. I can't seem to recall most of what I said. I think there are stars floating around me. She takes the head and wraps her tongue around it and continues to tease me. She flicks her tongue back and forth. The sexiest part of it all is that her eyes never leave mine.

As some of my juices flow from me, she uses her tongue to taste each drop. She moans as she tastes me; as she watches my face knowing that I am enjoying the pleasure that she is giving to me. As she'd done many times before, she takes me inch by inch into her warm mouth. Her eyes are still on mine but she begins to blur from my vision. I can longer focus on her face. She begins to move faster and faster on my GP.

Fuck!

I take her hair into my hands and begin to make love to her mouth. She doesn't need any help but I guide her anyway. Suddenly, one of her hands mysteriously leaves my leg. Then I hear it. She is pleasing herself as she pleases me. Her moans are almost as loud as my own. I begin to make jumbled and confused noises; noises that no vampire should make. The human should be making those noises; not the vampire.

I can't help it!

It is feeling so good!

I can't hold it much longer! I want to relish the moment but … "Sookie, please," I beg.

She moves faster. I smell her wetness as she pleasures us. I feel the movements of her arm as she fingers herself. The sounds of her wetness and our moans are more than I can handle. Knowing that my normally shy wife is pleasuring herself as she sucks me off was too much for me to handle. I don't want to cum but I can't stop it.

Just as I begin to cum, she placed her free hand on my shaft and helps me along. From the sounds of her moaning, she is cumming with me. I fill her mouth with every drop that I have. She swallows all that I have to give her; not a drop leaving her hungry mouth. I stroke her head as she continues to swallow the last of what I have to offer.

While I suffer through the aftershocks, she kisses her way back to my mouth. I expect her to take her usual position; facing me with her head on my shoulder, arms around my neck and her legs wrapped around my waist. She would slowly work her way down the shaft of the GP. Alas; I don't get what I expect. She sits beside me on the couch and she rests her head on my shoulder and sighs. She is just as happy and relieved as I am. I hope that she didn't believe that this is over.

"So buster, how do …?"

Without saying another word, I lift her into my arms. I press my lips firmly to hers. When we are standing in the middle of the room, I put her down and admire her body. I kiss every inch of her as she stands before me. I grab a pillow from the couch and place it behind her. I don't have to tell her to lie down. She knows what to do. While on my hands and knees, I lean down and kissed her sweet mouth.

She licks my fangs as she kisses me. "Buster wants more." She traces my lips with her sweetly scented fingers. My lover kisses me once again as she runs her fingers through my hair.

For only a moment, I stop kissing her. "I love you, Sookie."

"Always?" she asks.

"Always."

After kissing every other delectable part of her body, I spread her legs and taste her glory. I run my fingers ever so lightly along the folds of her sweetness and I proceed to tease her nub with the tip of my tongue. Instantly, all the blood that is inside of her seemed to go to that one spot as I flick my tongue back and forth. She sits up on her elbows and watches. I lean in closer and the swollen nub disappears in my mouth. As she watches me, she begins to move slowly against my mouth. I take that as my queue to finger her wetness. I take the tip of my finger and move it around in circular motions at her now red entrance. My eyes take in every expression on her face.

"More," she said.

I ignore her. With her nub still encased between my lips and my finger barely inside of her, she moans louder.

"More," she said.

"Are you begging?"

Without any fear or shame, she said, "YES!"

I put two finger tips inside of her. I take my mouth from my nub and look at her. She looks into my eyes and whimpers. Her eyes filled with tears of ecstasy. I make my way to her breasts and place her nipples in my mouth. Without warning, I give her three fingers, and not the tips this time, and she falls back onto the waiting pillow. I'm not gentle. I feel that it wasn't what she wants. When I thrust my fingers inside of her over and over again, she begins to move faster.

"Oh, my God; this feels so good!" she moans over and over.

I keep working my fingers in and out of her; doing my absolute best to keep up with her bucking and moaning. I feel her tightening on my fingers. I know that it is time. When she is about to cum, I keep my fingers inside of her; moving feverishly. To make her orgasm even better, I lick the inside of her thigh. She knew what's coming next.

Just as she is about to reach her moment, she said it, "Do it, Eric! Do it!"

I bite. Her body goes limp as she gasps with pleasure. The sensations are so intense that every part her body begins to shiver. With her hands still holding onto my head, her bucking slows. The gripping of my head turns into tender strokes. I have given her complete and total ecstasy.

"Lay with me," she said. She motions for me to come to her. I rest my head on her stomach as she runs her fingers through my hair. She hums me a song as she strokes my head. Soothing; my wife, her touch, and the song. I never want this to end.

After a few moments of peace and complete satisfaction pass, I ask her, "So _buster_, how do _you_ feel?"

She starts to laugh. "Ask me after I'm able to move."

Sookie and I both relish in the peace and quiet of being home together. For the first time, we are feeling the same emotions. The bond only harbors love and contentment. I smile as I listen to her heartbeat. It is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. My smile fades as I wonder how to tell her that I can't do it; that I can't turn her. I don't want her to give up the sun for me. I don't want her to miss tanning because of me. I don't want the life that lives within her, the life that makes her who she is, to die. I want her just as she is. I can't turn her.

She sits up a little and looks at me. "I felt this from you last night, Eric. Do you not want to have the human wedding?" She continues to stroke my head. "We don't have to do it. I don't need it. We are married by vampire laws. You're going to turn me anyway. We don't have to do it. We're already married. It'll be okay."

"I want you to be my wife by human laws. I want it because I love you and because it will make you happy." I look into her eyes as I continue. "We do need to talk. There are some things that you need to be made aware of."

"Okay; just let me shower first. A fresh mind and a fresh body help me to think better." She kisses the top of my head. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Now move." She gently gives me a nudge. Once I'm off of her, I help her stand. Standing on her tiptoes, she kisses me once more. "I love you."

I watch her as she run in the direction of our bedroom.

I know that she is only gone to shower but I can't bear for her to be out of my sight. It has nothing to do with the king or Freyda. My retinue and I, we will and can handle them. They are of no importance to me. They are the furthest from my mind. I want her. I need to be with her. I love her more than anything. I love her as she is. She will have to understand that I will love her no matter what. Even if she's not a vampire, I'm going to love her regardless. I don't care if she wrinkles or if her blond hair is no longer blond. I want her to know that everything that she is and what she will be is all that I need. Once I explain this to her, she will understand. She's a sensible woman …at times.

I sigh.

What am I thinking? I'm talking about Sookie.

I lay back with my arm across my forehead and I think back to what Pam said to me a few months ago. She said that I lose all rationale when it comes to Sookie. She said that the smart vampire that she aspired to be was now focused on what I used to refer to as gashes and blood bags.

"You are in love, Eric. I understand that. But you still have to think rationally when it comes to loving a human." She then said that Sookie would be the death of me.

I don't care. Just to be able to love her has done more for me than anything or anyone in my life; human or vampire. If she is the death of m, I will die a happy man.

While I am thinking of how much better life is because of her, I feel a pair of pants fall onto my lap. Sookie came back into the room with her hair wet and wearing a pair of sweats and a Bon Temps t-shirt. She flops down on the floor in front of me and smiles as she brushes her hair. I just notices how much blonder her hair is.

"I told you no nookie until we get married but wasn't that just as good?" she asks. She makes a 'whoo' sound and shakes her head. "I feel so good."

"Nothing is as good as being inside of you. Now, tell me about your day," I said.

Her face brightens and her eyes sparkle. "I've been waiting for you to say that. So much happened today; it was the best day so far."

I chuckle at the beautiful sight before me. As she brushes her hair, she tells me about her day. Sookie has always been a rambler but tonight, I won't cut her off and tell her that she is talking too much. I want her to talk too much. There is so much excitement in her voice.

She talked about the day that she had with Mustapha and how much cooler he is after he relaxes. She told me that he made her laugh and that he made her feel safe. She told me about how funny he is and how they shared the same tastes in music. She didn't like that he didn't explain the security motorcade to her but she was good with it. She wanted to meet them but Mustapha wouldn't let it happen. He said that there was no need for her to meet them. They were there to guard her, to make sure that she's safe.

He follows orders perfectly.

Once she has her hair in a ponytail, she looks up at me. She is sitting cross-legged as she continues to talk. She tells me how much she loves the house and how at first she thought that Mustapha was taking her to an important supe's house for a visit. She gave me details about many of the rooms and how she couldn't wait for us to make it our second home.

"What do you mean our second home?"

She looks surprised. "This will always be our home. The other home will be the second home. And guess what? Once we're settled in, Mustapha is going to cook with me and we're going to trade recipes. We're going to have brunches and dinners. It's going to be so great. We're going to meet his wife too. You did you know that he is married, right?" She didn't wait for me to answer. "You'll never guess what I've done. I've already started making some changes. I can't wait for us to move in! I'm so excited!" She squeals as she tightens her fists.

"I didn't think that you would be so willing to go."

She looks at me with a steady gaze. "I'll go anywhere with you."

We just stare at one another for awhile. She is the first one to giggle.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Us," she said. "This," she said as she looked around. "We are at home alone on a Monday night." She giggles again. "You always have so much work to do and I'm usually here watching TV or something. I just can't believe that we're home together on a Monday night."

I nod, "Yep, we're home and I am completely content."

She blushes. "I've never been happier."

"Are you blushing, lover?"

"No," she whispers. "Yes."

I take the sweatpants that she threw at me and put them on. She watches me with hunger in her eyes. The scent of her sin fills the room once again. I smirk as I look down her. "Reminiscing?" I ask.

"Yes," she whispers.

"Good," I said. I pull my pants up slowly as she watches my every move. "I know that you want me."

She sticks her tongue out at me.

Once I return to my seat on the couch, I lean forward with my elbows resting on my legs and I look at her. "Will you answer me something?"

"Anything," she said.

"Was there a faery here today?"

She looks at me as if I should have already known which faery had been there. "Niall was here. He came to congratulate us on our wedding. He was here for quite some time. Did something happen?"

"Was that the only reason he was here, Sookie?" I ask her stiffly. I may have said it a little harsher than I intended.

Her smile slowly fades from her face. "He's not supposed to come here?"

To keep her at ease, I change the tone of my voice and posture. "It's not that, my lover. I don't trust your grandfather. He's a faery. He's always hated my kind."

With no emotion on her face, she said, "They've feared you and your kind for valid reasons, Eric. Their blood, their scent; do you remember that those qualities tempt vampires? They can't survive around vampires. You can't pretend to not understand or at least see reason in why they fear you. And by the by, I'm part faery. Do you not trust me?"

I sit back on the couch. "You know that is not what I meant, Sookie. Do not do this. Do not try to turn this around. You know what I'm saying. You are a Brigant. I am a vampire. Your grandfather would sooner see me dead."

Still emotionless and motionless, she said, "Well, he trusts you. He told me that you've always been there for me. He told me how we came to be bonded. He told me how you found out about Bill. They've always had faith in you. He said that Claudine always knew that you loved me and that I loved you."

"They did not have faith in me. It was my status and age that made them come to me for help. Your grandfather would sooner kill me and take you away before he would see us together for all eternity. He would die before he would see you turned into a creature of the night …or did you not tell him of your plans?"

She looks at me and said, "What do you have to tell me, Eric? Are you acting like this about Niall because you have something to tell me?"

I said nothing.

How do I tell her that our future is not guaranteed? How do I tell her that I don't want to turn her into a creature of the night? Will she understand or will she feel rejected? How do I tell her that she may soon belong to Felipe? I didn't know where to begin.

"Let's begin with last night. Why did you come to bed sad? What did you find out when you went to Fangtasia?"

I don't answer.

"I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

She is right.

I let some of the words flow like water. I tell her that we have to go to New Orleans and that we may not be in our new home long before we have to go. "Felipe is to contact me and let me know if anything changes. We may have to meet with the council sooner than expected. We have two or three weeks; max."

A fog came over her face and it takes over her formerly bright blue eyes. She sits there and looks at me. She's waiting.

I tell her of the meeting that I had last night with the others that are involved with the killing of Victor Madden. I tell her that the humans and Weres are safe. I tell her that Felipe will try to get the humans to do what he wants them to do. He won't attempt anything with the Weres. He doesn't want a war on his hands. Because he can glamor them, the humans are in danger of betraying us. I tell her that the humans may be weakened by Felipe or any of his other vampires but I've gotten security watching them. I tell her almost everything.

She never interrupts. I was prepared for her to argue with me but she doesn't. I was expecting her to be disappointed but she isn't. She nodded as I spoke. I can tell that she has questions but she waits. As I've always said, she has the perfect temperament for a vampire.

The last bit of information that I fill her in on is that our vampires have all moved from their homes and into safe houses. I tell her that Bill and Pam are in more danger than the others.

She has a worried look on her face when she asks, "You're sure that they're safe?"

"Don't worry, lover. Pam has found them all homes that are not on record in the vampire community. They are staying in homes that are registered to humans. The humans use these residences as rentals. No one will know where they are."

Sookie nods thoughtfully. "We have to make sure that the humans are aware of ..."

She is handling it better than I thought she would. "They are fully aware."

She nods and waits. When I don't say anything else, Sookie just sits there looking skeptical. "Look here, buster, you're not going to sit there and act as if that's it. There was a lot more wrong with you when you got home last night other than this shit with Felipe. There's more that you're not telling me. I know that the security had something to do with Felipe. I'm not stupid. Tell me."

How am I going to tell her that New Orleans could possibly be the last night that we are together?

"Tell me," she whispered. When she speaks these words, I can hear a little quiver in her voice.

I don't speak.

"Do you love me?" she asks softly; tears falling from her eyes.

I am instantly in front of her; holding her hands in mine. "Yes. How can you ask me that?"

"No matter how much it hurts, you have to tell me. If you love me, you will tell me. We made a promise that we would hide nothing from each other after that _'I have to marry Freyda_' incident. You promised that you wouldn't leave me blind." Her heart is pounding so loudly, it sounds as if it will explode from her chest.

I return to my seat and steady myself. I hold my head down; unable to look into her eyes. I can't bear to see her pain. If only I had been the first vampire she'd ever have met. If she had never met any of the vampires, we would …

"Look at me." When I do, she quickly wipes the tears from her eyes. "We can handle anything. We're one, Eric. That's what the bond means. I know that now. It doesn't mean that you own. It doesn't mean that I lose who I am. We are one soul. We are on being. We are one. It's you and me." Her lip quivers as she fakes a smile for me. "It's you and me."

She is right.

"If we are denied by the council members, we will be separated from one another for all eternity. There will be no Sookie and Eric Northman. You will have to go with the king and you will belong to him. I will be forced to marry Freyda. I will see you no more."

Sookie begins to laugh and cry all at the same time. She places her hand to her chest and exhales. She looks almost relieved. With her eyes closed, she asks, "Is that all? You scared me." Tears of happiness leave trails on her face.

"You never cease to amaze me."

She jumps up from the floor and takes her place in my lap. She faces me and wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. "We'll be fine Eric." She kisses my cheek and nuzzles my neck. "We'll be just fine." Her head rests on my shoulder.

I tell her to look at me. When she does, I place my hands on either side of her face and what I see amazes me. I see that she believes this; wholeheartedly. She believes everything will work out fine for us.

"How are you so sure, lover?"

"Niall; he said that everything would be fine. I don't know why but he said that we shouldn't worry. Didn't he tell you that when you came upstairs?"

I shake my head no slowly.

She shrugs her shoulders as if it is no big deal. "He was sitting here when you took me from his lap. My head was resting on his lap as he hummed to me. When the singing stopped, I thought that he was talking to you. Afterwards, I thought that was when he'd left for the night." She laid her head on my shoulder.

"No lover," I whisper. "He wasn't here. You were sleeping on the couch alone. I haven't seen Niall." That's who she was looking for.

What she did next is the most shocking. She doesn't seem the least bit phased about what I'd told her. She isn't afraid. She isn't upset. She is reacting in a way that is not a characteristic of my wife.

She kisses my neck and giggles. "Don't worry, buster. Niall will take care of it. Niall takes care of everything." Sookie snuggles down into my body and said, "I love you."

I kiss her head as I let what she has just told me sink in. I've always been right about Niall Brigant. I don't trust that fucking faery.


	24. Chapter 24

**I Remember You**

**Flashback**

**Chapter 24**

**I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday. Whatever you all celebrate, I hope that it was absolutely wonderful. I wish that you all could see what my partner got me for Christmas. He had a pic made of me and Eric. It would have been so much cooler if I could have gotten the real thing but that was close enough I guess. Maybe I'll get the real thing for my birthday.**

**To the new readers; you are just amazing. All of you guys are amazing; new and old. Thank you so much for reading this story. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Thank you for making this story a favorite and alerting to the story. Some of the private messages and the reviews are hilarious. I can't thank you enough for your time. I really appreciate how you all are keeping me on my toes.**

**Enough of the rambling! On to chapter 24...**

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><p>"Okay," I said as I pace back and forth.<p>

No matter how many times I hear it, I have to wonder what Niall is up to. I hate to have her repeat it but something is missing. Something's not quite right. There was something that I wasn't seeing.

"He came here and said that he wanted to congratulate us on our pending marriage. He then said that he wanted to tell you how our relationship came to be." Skeptically, I add, "He wanted to let you know this _before_ we are married. He didn't want you to marry me not knowing the full story. It never occurred to him that you could possibly be upset with me; knowing that I kept things from you; unintentionally. It did not seem important that I tell you how I found out about Bill. He has been forgiven. I should have told you about Andre. They came to me because I was their only hope when it came to stopping him from bonding you to him and Sophie Ann. They knew of our relationship and of our feelings for each other. They also knew that we were bonded. I didn't tell you but I know that I should have. For that, I am sorry. The jest of it all is that Niall wanted to be truthful with you about me." I stop and look at her as she sits on the couch and looks at me with those big doe eyes.

She nods.

I continue. "After he told you the truth about me, he asked you what you wanted as a wedding gift. You told him what you wanted and he, being the _great _grandfather that he is, wants to give you what you want; a life of happiness. And you believe him?"

She nods slowly.

I turn to face the wall; my back to her as I repeat her story. "After that, you dreamed of being with him at a faraway place. You were happy and felt safe there. It made you feel as if you belonged there. It had to have been a dream because you were sleeping on his lap as he hummed you a song and caressed your hair. He told you that Claudine wanted you to have a part of her. So, when he hugged you, you felt as if Claudine was with you. You can almost feel her now. He said some other things to you while you and he were at the magical place. You just can't remember where you were or everything that was said. He told you that you would remember when it matters." I turn around and look at her.

She barely nods at all this time.

I can't believe that she is sitting here looking as if it this is normal. Niall has done something to her to make her forget most of what they talked about and she looks as if I shouldn't question anything that she has told me. Sookie has never been this irrational before. She has always thought things through. But this time, she is taking Niall at his word with no questions asked? I'm completely baffled.

"This doesn't seem odd to you at all? Do you not wonder why you can't remember everything that you and Niall discussed in this dream? Do you not want to know where you were? What you did? What was done to you?"

Sookie no longer has the self assured look on her face from earlier tonight. She is no longer beaming from ear to ear. Her eyes have lost the gleam from just moments ago. She looks defeated. I never meant to do that to her. I only want her to see what I see. I only want her to think logically.

Stoically and firmly, she says, "At the time, no. It wasn't odd to me. He's a faery. I know that they can give you things and make you feel things that you'd never expect. I know that they have magical powers that I am ignorant to. I thought that he was giving me a beautiful dream to go along with my beautiful day. Why would I see it as strange that he wanted to tell me that you've always loved and protected me? What person would think that it's strange that their grandfather wants to give them a wedding gift? What person would think that her grandfather doesn't want her to be happy? He's never given me any reason not to trust him but I will tell you what I didn't expect; this, you talking down to me as if I'm an idiot. I didn't expect to regret telling you. I didn't expect to feel foolish either." She looks hurt when she turns away from me.

"I am sorry. It wasn't my intention to hurt you. I am just trying to get an understanding of what happened today. The last thing that I've ever wanted to do is to make you feel foolish. You're not foolish and you're not an idiot. I was talking to you as if you are a child and I was wrong. I definitely don't want you to regret confiding in me. When it comes to your grandfather, I get paranoid. There is no excuse for how I have made you feel. Will you forgive me?"

She nods but she doesn't look at me. I can feel that she regrets telling me. I'd make up for it later. This is too important. "Tell me again exactly what you told him you wanted. Word for word; don't leave anything out."

She slid in the opposite direction when I took the seat beside her. I feel a pain in my chest but I don't move any closer to her. With her head down and barely speaking above a whisper, she begins her story once more. This time, there is no emotion when she tells me about her conversation with Niall. There is no animation in her voice and there are no gestures. She is monotone.

I'm so sorry.

"He asked me what would make me the happiest I've ever been. I told him to be given a decent chance in life. I told him that I wanted to be the one to make decisions for myself. I told him that I've always wanted to make my own choices, be it bad or good; at least they would be my own. I told him that my life would be so different if I had been given a chance to learn how to handle my telepathy. I know that I can't go back but that's what I've always wanted. Can you imagine how different my life would be?" Tears fall onto her hands. "I'd be happy. I wouldn't be ashamed of who I am, of what I can do. Just to be given that chance would have been wonderful. Niall then told me that life is full of surprises. I told him that I've come to terms with how my life is. I had no choice. Since I can't have that, I told him that I want you. More than anything in this world, I want you. I want to be with you forever. Since the first night I met you, I've wanted you." She finally looks at me but she doesn't move any closer to me. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. You've made me feel that I shouldn't have said anything; that I was wrong."

Expecting her to back away, I reach for her. She doesn't flinch from me. I lay my hand gently on her face as I lean in to kiss her forehead. "I am sorry for making you feel as you do. I keep forgetting that you are very young. You don't understand or know the way of the fae. I have never hidden from you that if I ever given the chance, I would have killed Niall long ago. Now, things have changed. He only lives because of you. As you know, they are a very different …species. They don't think as others do. They think that they are superior to everyone; especially the prince. Your grandfather; I don't trust him, Sookie."

Sookie didn't speak. She has a thoughtful look on her face. She looks at me but she doesn't see me. Whenever she looks like that, I know that the wheels in her head are turning at a rapid pace. I know that she is trying to piece together everything that has happened today. She is trying to remember what she has so conveniently forgotten; thanks to the almighty Niall Brigant. Her face is screwed up in ways that would make anyone else look as if they are in pain. She looks as if she is plotting.

After she comes to some sort of conclusion, she looks at me. This time she sees me. "I don't think he'd hurt me, Eric. I don't believe that he'd do anything to hurt you either. He knows that I love you and he knows that we are meant for each other. I can see our happily ever after. For the first time ever, I can see it. Even knowing that we have to meet with the council, I can see our future together. We'll have forever, Eric. I know that. Claudine worked hard for this to happen for us. It's real. I _need_ for this to be real."

For the first time ever, I see the look of desperation on her face and in her eyes. She wants nothing more than to believe that her grandfather is going to keep us together. Her eyes are begging for me to let her have this. Her eyes tell me that she can't take anymore disappointments. At this point, I think that she'll believe anything to have her happily ever after.

If that's what she wants then I will go along with it. "We'll always have forever, Sookie. I need this too. I want us to have our happily ever after. We'll have it."

She hugs me tighter than she ever has before. I pull her onto my lap and she begins to cry. "I can't let you take this from me with all of your logic. I want your rationalization. I don't want to hear it, okay? Not now. I don't want that. I need this. I have to believe that this is true." She buries her head into my neck and cries some more. I hold her tightly as I rock her back and forth in my arms.

After she has calmed down, I ask, "Why do you need to believe this?"

"Because, I have to," she said. She looks at me; smiling timidly. "You have no idea what I've been going through. I had another option available to me and the more I think about it, the more impossible it is. It won't work. It's like no matter what I plan to do, it's going to fail. This has never happened to me before. I've always had a plan and when I've thought it through, I could make it happen. Not this time. I'll fail and I can't have that. I have no choice, Eric. I have to believe him." Leaning her head against my chest, she whispers, "I have to."

"What are you talking about, Sookie?" I am even more intrigued than I was before. I lift her face so that I can look into her eyes. "What have you been going through?"

"Wait a sec," she said. Before she leaves my lap, looks into my eyes. "If you ever make me feel like this again, Eric Northman, it will be the last time. Don't do it again."

"Never again; I promise."

She kisses me before she gets up from my lap and goes into the kitchen. I hear the backdoor leading to the garage open. Before I have a chance to see what she is doing, I hear the door slam and feet pattering against the marble floor.

When she runs back into the living room, I notice that she looks different. Her eyes are brighter, her hair seems to flow as if the wind is blowing gently over her face; everything about her is different. The t-shirt that she is wearing is fitting her curves tighter than before. Her body looks fuller. Her eyes and nose are no longer puffy due to her crying. There is no redness in her cheeks. There is no evidence that she has cried at all. If anything, she is even more beautiful than she has ever been. There is a bright aura around her and it fills the room. The fae scent from earlier surrounds her. I can't believe that she has the scent of the fae.

"Eric, did you hear me?" she asks as she stands in front of me.

I shake my head no. She is so hypnotizing. Everything about her has captivated me.

"Do you know what this is?" she asks as she sits beside me.

In her hand, there is a bright green jewel.

Okay.

I look from the jewel to her. I shake my head; unable to tear my eyes away from hers. She continues to talk. I move in closer to her and pull her onto my lap. With her back leaned against my chest, I nuzzle her neck. Her warm hand rests against my cheek as she speaks to me. I want to make love to her. She smells so sweet. The GP begins to harden underneath her. She shifts on my hardness and said something that I can't quite hear. Her shifting only makes me harder. I hold her firmly in my lap. She stops wiggling but keeps talking ...I think. As I inhale deeper, I smell our combined scents. Our blood makes her scent more alluring. I want her. I close my eyes as my imagination takes me away.

I begin to think about the first time we met. I remember how I tried to glamor her and make her come to me. The fact that she did not come to me infuriated me more than anything. I wanted to make her mine. No one had ever denied me. I knew that Bill had not been with her. I could smell that she'd had his blood but I knew that she had not given herself to him. I would have given anything to make her mine. I would love to have been the first vampire that she'd ever met. I began to move as I imagined making love to her. I would have given anything to be her first everything.

I hear a far away voice telling someone named Buster to be still and listen. I don't know if the voice is speaking to me so I nod and return to my fantasy …my new and improved fantasy.

Instead of ignoring my glamor as she did before, she yields to me; leaving Bill sitting at the table. He called to her but she ignored him. He watched her as she walked to the throne. When she reached me, she told me that she isn't responding to my glamor. She came over to tell me how rude it is for me to try and make a lady do something that she doesn't want to do. She told me that if I want her, I need to only call her by her name. She told me to say her name.

Sookie

She laughed a melodic laugh and said that was all that I needed to do and she would have come to me on her own. She took me by my hand and led me into my office. When she closed the door behind us, she was naked. I didn't know how she removed her clothing so fast but she did and she was naked. She lay on my desk and beckoned for me to come to her. Like a good vampire, I went to her. I tasted every inch of Sookie Stackhouse. When I began to kiss and nibble at her ear, she whispered in my ear and told me to be gentle.

She was a virgin.

I was as gentle as I've ever been. When I entered her, she wrapped her arms around my neck and she moved with me. As our bodies enjoyed the feeling of knowing each other, she did the unexpected. She told me to claim her; to make her mine. I began to kiss her neck. She tilted her head as I kissed her. I heard her speaking but it sounded so far away. I began to grind against her as the far away voice told me to stop. I licked her neck. I felt myself about to cum. She bucked against me and told me that she was mine. She was yelling at me. I heard one voice telling me to do it, to claim her. The other was telling me to stop. I listened to first voice. Before I knew it, I had bitten into her as I met my release. I was cumming as I fed from her. Her blood was flowing over my tongue as she was calling my name over and over again; telling me that I'm her only lover, her first and her last. I'm her everything. She held my head to her neck telling me to make her mine; begging me not to stop.

'Eternity,' my dream Sookie said. The words played over and over in my mind as I made her mine forever.

Suddenly I feel a sharp sting.

"Eric!"

I blink several times before I realize what is going on. She has slapped me …hard. When I return to reality, I realize that I am not making love to her on the night that we first met. We are not in my office and she's not begging me to claim her. It was just my imagination. We are at home sitting on the couch and she is looking at me with wide eyes. I am dry humping the real Sookie and she isn't happy.

"Eric!"

Then I see it. Blood is coming from the wounds on her neck. I bit her. I never meant to... "I'm sorry."

She just stares at me. She doesn't move. She only stares.

"Please, let me heal you."

Because she only stares at me, I begin to think that she is scared of me. It took me back to the night that I bit viciously into her neck. I thought that she was going to get up from my lap and tell me that the wedding is off. I thought that she was going to tell me that she never wanted to see me again and she is going back to Bon Temps. She is going to move back in with her uncle and she'll never see me again.

She tilts her head to the side and let me heal her wounds. When the wounds have been healed, she kisses me. "It wasn't your fault. It was the cluviel dor. I remember how it made me feel when I first held it. I never wanted to let it go. It made me feel so good. Coupled with the fact that I was living with my uncle and my cousin, the cluviel dor made me feel more like a Brigant. I felt like a fae and that I belonged with them. I later learned that the longer I lived with them, the more fae I became. When I got this," she said as she pointed to the table, "the feeling of being part Brigant was overwhelming. I still feel more like a faery than I ever have. Before he moved away, Claude told me that being with my family would make my faery traits stronger. He said that being close to portal didn't hurt either."

The jewel is still very bright but it was just that to me; a jewel. "Why would the jewel make me attack you?"

She laughs. "You didn't attack me. You were as gentle as you always are with me. You didn't drink too much but if I hadn't stopped you, you would have. I know that you love me. I could see what you wanted. I could see your greatest wish." She kissed me before getting up from my lap. Before going to sit on the other couch, she took the jewel with her. "I'll just sit over here. We don't want a repeat occurrence," she says as she pointed at the wet spot on my sweatpants.

I made a human gesture and shrug my shoulders. "If you hadn't made up that rule, it wouldn't be on the front of my pants."

She laughs with me. "If you want to know what this is, you need to behave. You need to know this." I remember saying the same things to her when I was telling her about the way the vampire hierarchy works. We are becoming more and more alike every day.

After I promise to behave myself, Sookie begins at the beginning …again.

"Gran gave this to me. Fintan gave this to her as a token of his love and she gave it to me. It was made in Faery. It was made from the rarest of stones. Faeries are very fickle beings. One would never expect them to fall in love with humans but on rare occasions they do. When they do, they give gifts to the humans that they love the most. The cluviel dor is what Fintan gave to Gran. In the letter that she left for me explaining what this jewel is, she said that it will grant your greatest wish. She warned me that I can only get one and that I needed to make it a good one and that I had to be sure that it is what I want. She said that you have to really want it in order for the wish to come true. She told me to keep it close.

"Desmond told me to never tell anyone about it. He said that many faeries would come around because of the power of the cluviel dor. He said that they would kill for it. He said that it would make them feel closer to home. Claude and Dermot never knew that I had it. They just believed that it was the portal that was drawing them all to my house. I never told anyone. Until this very moment, I've told no one but you."

This time, I hear everything that she has said. She can make a wish and that wish can change our lives forever. Felipe, Sandy, Freyda; they would all be gone with just one wish, we could be free of them for all eternity. She doesn't have to believe in Niall after all in order for us to get our happily ever after. She just needs to make a wish. Before I am able ask her why she has not done so, she starts to tell me.

"I've thought over and over again about how I could wish Felipe and Freyda away. No matter how I try to wish it, we'll never get what we want. If I wish Felipe away, Sandy would more than likely step into his shoes. If they meet the final death because of something I've wished, who will take their place? Do we know of everyone that is a part of his retinue? Are we sure that he doesn't have an enemy here already watching us that is going to take his place and continue with his diabolical plan to lay claim to me? Every vampire in the world knows what I can do. As you've told me before, you don't know who you can trust.

"What if I wish away Freyda? Wish that she never existed or that Appius had never signed the contract? That would be great and that would work but what would we do about Felipe? He would still want to punish us for killing Victor. You would not have to marry Freyda but what if he put you to the final death as punishment? That was his earlier plan. He could kill you, Pam, and Bill and my other vampires. I would be his and then what? What if I wished us back to the night that we killed Victor and things don't happen as it did before? After all of this thinking, I'm lost. What other options do we have other than to believe Niall?"

The scared look is on her face once again. I feel her anguish, her pain. She has given this a lot of thought. She has suffered through this alone but she has no choice. She has done what she needs to do. She was and is thinking logically. I suddenly feel a burst of pride flow through me. She is a very logical woman and I must admit that her way of thinking is much like my own. She will make an amazing vampire. Will; I laugh at my choice of words.

"What's so funny?" she asks.

I lean back on the couch, crossing my arms behind my head. "You are becoming more and more like me every day. I have not doubts that you will make an excellent vampire."

She rolls her eyes. "Jesus Christ, Shepard of Judea; I hope that they have a pill for that; two of you running around here? My goodness, the world is in trouble."

I watch her and I know that I can turn her. I will turn her. I know that I want her as she is right now for the rest of our days. Our existence will be as it is right now. It is our destiny. We will be as one. I nod my head at the trinket in her hand and ask, "Did you have it in a safe place?"

As she shakes her head no, she said, "I kept in the makeup bag in the garage. I felt that I didn't need it anymore. I never forgot about how I could possibly use it but ..." she shrugs away the end of the sentence.

I look at her with complete surprise. "Seriously; a makeup bag, Sookie? Come," I said. She follows me to my office. Once there, I show where she would keep her jewel. I lead her to the location of the safe.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said. "Your safe is the television?"

I look at her and nod my head. "Yes. No one would suspect such a place." It is the perfect place. It's a flat screen. It works and no one would ever be the wiser. I push the button that read blu-ray and I pull the screen back. She watches me mesmerized. I clear the combination that I have already entered. "Set it to what you want. Tell no one, not even me, the combination." Before she has time to protest, I leave the room.

As I lean against the wall, I think about what Sookie has told me. I understand why she wants to believe what Niall has told her. She has every reason to believe him. He is the most powerful of the fae and he loves her. She is a member of the royal family and Brigant will do anything for her. He has always said that she has the essential spark that separates her from the rest of her kind.

When he first came to me, I could tell that he would sacrifice the rest of them for her. Claudine knew it too. They all knew it. That is why they wanted her dead. She is too powerful. A human/fae that is a member of the royal family that has a trait that the rest do not possess? Is that why he is so willing to help her? Is there a place for her in the realm? If he is willingly sacrifices his own full blooded kin for my wife, why should I doubt him?

No matter what I say to myself, I can't bring myself to trust him. I need to see the faery. Before I have chance to think anymore about Niall, Sookie comes out of my office.

"ESN," she said.

"What's that?"

"It's the combination; ESN …5-10-14. Eric Sookie Northman; you needed to know the combination just in case something ever happens to me. If something happens to me then the cluviel dor goes to you."

"You don't have to …"

"I want to." She moves in close and let her fingers walk up my chest. "You can do something for me if you want to. It's a way of repaying me." She looks up at me and licks her lips. I take that as my queue to kiss her.

She wants me.

She can't get enough of me.

Smugly and in my sexiest voice, "What's that lover?" I begin to kiss my way down her neck. "You need only ask and it is yours."

"You can take me out to dinner. I'm starving. Olive Garden. Go shower and I'll go change. I'll be in the office when you're ready. I'm going to watch some T.V." Before I knew it, she was gone.

As she leaves my sight, I hear myself mumbling the words of a man, "Yes, dear."


	25. Chapter 25

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 25**

**Flashback: Sookie's Dream Sequence**

**This is a little side chapter to let you see what happened while Sookie was 'sleeping' on Niall's lap. The chapter will not be told in the point of view of either character. They are just enjoying each other's company as a grandfather and granddaughter would. I'd also like to thank you for your reading and reviewing. I hope that you enjoy.**

**I'd also like to state that I do not own any of the main characters. They all belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris. This disclaimer goes for all future and past chapters that I forget to include with the disclaimer.**

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><p>When she went to sleep, she was on the couch with her head on her grandfather's lap. The thoughts of Eric and Claudine were swirling through her sleeping mind. Her dreams were filled with the images of their faces and the pain of the sacrifices made for her. She shamed herself for always thinking that Eric never put her first. She dreamt of each instance when Eric dropped everything and anything that he was doing just for her.<p>

She thought of him killing Long Shadow. She knew that he'd done it but she believed he'd done it because Long Shadow was stealing from him, not because he wanted her. She then realized that Bill did nothing to stop it. He stood back and watched as Long Shadow lunged at her. He did nothing. Eric did though. He was always thinking of her.

The images of how frantic he looked when he discovered why Charles Twining was really in his area …to kill Sookie. The way he continued to call Merlotte's to try and warn her but Charles kept answering the phone. She felt even worse when Niall showed her the images of what Eric suffered through when Victor wouldn't let him come to her when Neave and Lochlan held her captive. They silvered him. They tortured him and yet and still, he fed her his blood so that she could heal. His wellbeing was never a concern. It was always for her.

Everything he'd ever done was for her.

She dreamt of Niall telling her how Eric has always fought for her. He has always loved her and he was not the only one. She dreamt of how Niall told her that Claudine died for her. Sookie's body was racked with guilt and pain. Not just because Claudine died for her but because of the baby that died in the name of Sookie Stackhouse. That was the baby that Claudine had always wanted and because of her, it was gone. This is something that she would have to live with for the rest of her life. Another death had been placed at her feet.

"How can you forgive me for killing her, Niall? How can you forgive me for killing a full fae female? She was pregnant and she gave her life and the life of her unborn child for me. The numbers of our people are dwindling down to nothing and they died for me. I was not worth her life. I'm nobody. I'm nothing. How can you say that you love me?" Sookie cried tears of grief and guilt. The dream was beginning to feel all too real.

"Hush, child. Don't speak such nonsense. You are more than you realize. In time, you will see. Claudine's death was not in vain. You lie here and rest. Let your grandpa sing you to sleep. Close your eyes and let me take away your worries even if only for a little while." Niall hummed his lulling song as he continued to caress her sleepy head. It did not go unnoticed by him when she said 'our' people. She has accepted what she is and where she comes from. He did what he had always wanted to do. He filled her with the magic of her kin.

And she could feel his magic pouring through her. The magic was slowly taking the place of the grief and the guilt that she was feeling. For just a second, she thought that she could feel Claudine. She could feel Claudine touching her hand and telling her that everything was going to be okay. When she opened her eyes, there she stood. She was beautiful; just as beautiful as she was the last time Sookie saw her. Sookie wanted to reach for her and hold Claudine in her arms. She wanted to sit with her cousin and talk about nothing and everything but what she really wanted to do was apologize.

Sookie whimpered a soft, "Please, forgive me."

"_All is quiet_," was the whisper that Sookie heard. Just as the words left her lips, Claudine faded away. It was all just a dream. No more than a silly girl's dream.

After all was said and done, the grief and guilt eased from Sookie's mind. When she finally '_awakened_', she noticed how bright the living room had gotten all of a sudden. Oh and the smell; the smell was divine. Maybe Niall had gone out to get them something to eat. Snicker doodles; she had always loved snicker doodles. That's not a very healthy dinner but there's nothing wrong with having a snack; especially with your grandfather.

When she sat up, Sookie got the surprise of her life. She was not in the living room. She was no longer lying on the couch. Her head wasn't on Niall's lap. There were no snicker doodles anywhere. She wasn't at home. She was somewhere else. And that somewhere else was beautiful and it felt like home. The only thing that was missing was Eric.

They were sitting by a clear running stream with the smallest of waterfalls. It was the prettiest turquoise blue she'd ever seen. Dragonflies flitted over the cool blue water. The mist swirled around the beautiful flowers that danced around the stream. Dandelions, daffodils, tulips, lilies; every flower that she could possibly have imagined was dancing around the stream. Hummingbirds danced from flower to flower. Bees buzzed as if they were seeing their first flower. They were the most exotic flowers she'd ever seen. Oh, and the colors; they were magnificent. Pinks, emerald greens, amethysts, and sapphire blues. Her favorite colors were the yellows ...no the orange, pink, and different shades of purple ...she laughed with her hands to her mouth. They were all so beautiful she just couldn't decide which color was her favorite. She finally decided that they were all her favorite. There were just so many colors but what really caught her attention was the water. She wanted to play in the water.

She turned to look at Niall and he smiled at her. Her eyes were begging him to let her go and play. His eyes were the eyes of a man meeting his grandchild for the very first time.

"Go on, my child," he said. "Enjoy the brook of your home. Enjoy the enchanted woods. You've never felt anything like it."

Without a second's hesitation, Sookie was wading in the water of the stream. It felt amazing. It wasn't cold or warm. It was just right. Sookie stooped down and started splashing herself with the water. She was giggling like a child with a new toy. She twirled around and smiled. This was the most realistic dream she'd ever had. She bent down to pick one of the flowers and found that she did not want to take it from its resting spot; its home. She only wanted to smell it and it was divine. She leaned down and it inhaled the flowers sweet scent. It smelled like snicker doodles. Sookie jumped up and down with delight.

Niall had never seen a lovelier sight.

As she danced and twirled in the stream, the birds and the butterflies began to circle around the girl's head. She stopped twirling long enough to notice and she was even more amazed than before. They were singing to her; the birds and the butterflies. The birds did not chirp as they do at home. They sounded like the wind chimes that used to hang on Maxine Fortenberry's back porch. She could almost hear their voices. The butterflies, their music came from their wings. The wind was playing a melodic tune with each flutter.

She slowly reached for one of the butterflies or the birds. She didn't care which. She just hoped that she could touch just one. She did not expect any of them to come to her but she got the surprise of her life. The whitest bird landed on her finger. He continued to sing to her as the others quieted down. She laughed and looked at Niall. He stared at her in amazement.

The animals of the realm have never been accepting of the residents here. It always takes a little extra coaxing to get them to come to the people of their land. They would have to be bribed with fruits or other goodies before they would allow the faeries to touch them; much less perch upon a faery's finger. Sookie had to do nothing other than stand there and smile. Niall knew he was right about her all along. She is '_the one_'. The essential spark lives on in her.

The bird settled on her finger and continued to sing. As he sang to her, she petted him; gently and lovingly. She continued to eye the bird with an adoring smile. "You're beautiful. You have the most enchanting eyes." When she looked into his eyes, she was lost in them. It was almost as if he could see to the soul of her. He knew her every secret and didn't care. He was going to be hers for always. The bird reminded her so much of Eric. He continued to let her pet him as he sang his song to her.

"He likes you," Niall said.

Sookie looked at Niall and nodded her head, "I know, right?" She turned her attention back to the bird. "Are you my bird?" she asked him in a baby voice. "Are you my bird?" she asked once again.

The bird hopped onto her shoulder and continued to sing.

Niall filled the wooded area with his happiness. "I guess he is your bird."

She turned her head to face the little bird that sitting on her shoulder and said, "I guess, I'll have to give you a name. What will I name you?" She looked in the bird's eyes and they were the bluest of blues. They were kind and loving. They were sad and lonely. They'd seen so much and he had no one to share his adventures with. She knew exactly what she was going to name him.

"I'll name you Eric2. Do you like that?"

The bird sang even louder than before.

"Then that's your name; Eric2." She held her finger out for him and he hopped on it. She kissed his little white head and said to him, "Fly away."

Eric2 chirped as he left to continue his journey. Sookie waded in the water as she watched him. Sookie watched as the birds followed Eric2 to their unknown place. She couldn't believe how magnificent those creatures were. They were so magical and they took to her so easily. It's almost as if they belonged to her. Once they were out of sight, she went to sit by her grandfather's side.

"Forgive me for acting like such a kid," she said to him. "I just had to get in the water. I couldn't help it. It was so inviting. Now I'm all wet …" When she looked down, there wasn't a drop of water on her. She looked at Niall; mesmerized. "Why are my clothes not wet? I splashed water all over myself."

"You're in the realm, Sookie. Nothing is at it is in the earthly realm. There's so much more here for you."

She dropped to her knees and kneeled at her grandfather's side. "I'm in Faery? I thought that I couldn't come here because I'm not pure fae. I thought that it was closed off to me; to all of the earthbound faeries. The ones that live her, don't they hate me?" She was suddenly filled with fear. "What if they find me here? They will try to kill ..."

Niall shook his head no. "You have nothing to worry about, dear one. The realm is never closed off to you. You are a Brigant. This is your home. It is closed off to the others because they chose to stay in the earthly world. They were told that if they were to return to our world they could never go back. They made their decision and that is where they will stay. It'll never be closed off to you. You're special. And never fear my child; here, you are forever safe. Your enemies have been killed."

Sookie let her hand brush over the grass. She inhaled the scent of the snicker doodle flowers. She held her face up to the sky and let the light of the fae shine down on her face. She let the wind kiss her lips. "This is my home," she said more to herself than to anyone in particular. She opened her eyes and looked at Niall. Sadness had crept into her eyes. "But not Eric's?" she asked. She knew the answer to that question before Niall opened his mouth.

"It is not." The sadness in her eyes destroyed his heart. "Come, sit with me, my child," he said as he offered Sookie his hand. He would make things better. He would make her realize that there was so much more for her in Faery. He could make it better. Niall always made things better.

When she touched Niall's hand, something happened to her. The magic from earlier had intensified. She was no longer plain old Sookie Stackhouse. She was something more. She was Niall. She was Claudine. She was Fintan. She was new ...almost.

"What just happened to me?"

Niall only laughed. "Don't concern yourself with that. It will come to pass soon enough. Do you like it here?"

"I do," she said silently; almost guiltily. This place is so beautiful, so peaceful." Still on her knees and holding her grandfather's hand, Sookie continued to talk. "This place is like nothing I've ever seen before. Though, I've never been here, I feel welcomed here. It's almost as if I belong here. I don't belong anywhere else but here. That is what I feel." She held her head down as she thought of Eric once more.

"You can stay here if you want. You will never have to leave. You will never have to worry. All of your fears will be gone. You will be carefree and happy for the rest of your days. All of this is yours." Niall used his free hand as a guide so that Sookie could see all that belongs to her. "You are a Brigant. You are member of the royal family. I am the Prince of the Fae. This is my home therefore it is your home; a home that you will never have to leave, a home that is filled with security just for you. You will forever be safe here. You will never have to be ashamed of who you are or what you can do. Your differences make you more extraordinary than the rest. You will be loved and respected here. You will be cherished and treated as the princess that you are. You will forever be revered. "

Eric is the name that kept playing through her mind. Niall saw it in her eyes.

Sookie crawled across the ground to her grandfather. Once she was where she wanted to be, she laid her head on his lap once again. She faced the stream as she thought of her husband. "I know that you mean well and I thank you for that. Thank you, grandpa. Thank you for bringing me here and letting me know that this is my home but I can't stay here. My home is with Eric. My home has always been with him. It will _always_ be with him."

Niall already knew that. "He is a good man and he does love you. As vampires go, you could do a lot worse. Let's speak of happy things such as your wedding." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Now tell me child, what do you want as a wedding gift? Anything that your heart desires, you will have."

"Anything?" she asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Anything," Niall said.

Sookie closed her eyes as many thoughts ran through her mind. There was so much that she and Eric needed. They needed help with Felipe and Sandy but there was no way that she could drag the faeries into a war that was not theirs. That would be very selfish her. She has never expected others to fight her battles and she wasn't going to have them do it now. This was a war that she and Eric would have to get through without the help of the fae and whatever happens, happens. They didn't need anything that was materialistic. They had their emotional state under control. She couldn't think of anything that they needed.

"You truly love him?"

"I do. I've never loved anyone as I love him. I can't imagine living without him. I don't think that I could live without him." She removed herself from her grandfather's lap and she lay on her stomach, using her elbows to prop herself up. "Have you ever loved anyone that much? So much that you would do anything to be with them? So much that you would do anything to make them happy? You love them so much that you forget about your own happiness. Their love fills you completely in every way and you never want to be empty again. You know that if they have done that to you, you can only imagine what you've done to them. To keep those feelings going, you'd do anything to keep them happy. In the end, their happiness always wins out. That's what Eric does to me, grandpa. He makes me happy. He makes feel whole. When I'm with Eric, I just feel so good inside."

Niall looked at Sookie and he knew exactly what she meant. He has loved someone like that. He has gone so far as to plan on taking the one that he loved for himself. Not as a lover; not yet, but as a protégé'. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to give the one that he loves a life of security and love that he felt only he could give to her. There was so much waiting for her on the other side if he could take her as his own. He wanted her to start over with a new life of hope and dreams. He wanted to wipe the memory of her from everyone's mind that had ever known her. They would never know the joy of knowing her or the joy of loving her. They don't deserve to love her or to know her. They haven't earned that right.

"I have," was all that he said.

Sookie returned to her head to her grandpa's lap. "Isn't it a great feeling to love someone that much and to know that they love you just as much … if not more?"

"It is," he said softly. He could feel the tears begin to form in his eyes. "So," he said rather abruptly. "Have you decided on what you want as a wedding gift?"

She yawned. "You're going to think that I'm nuts." She giggled.

"I would never think that of you. You are a Brigant. We have never been a family of nuts. We are extraordinary creatures; creatures of power and grace." Sookie turned around and looked at Niall with a smile covering her face. "You remember that. WE are like no others."

Sookie filled the enchanted woods with laughter. "You are too much, grandpa. You are just too much."

"So I've been told. Now, tell me your heart's desire. What would make you the happiest? If you could have anything in this world and the other, what would it be?" he asked.

"Chance, happiness," they were the only words that came to mind.

Niall caressed her head and asked, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I want to be given a chance. A chance to make decisions for myself; I want to fuck up …sorry …I want to be able to make my own mistakes without someone else being involved. I want to be given a chance to manage my telepathy and not be seen as a freak or to be called _'Crazy Sookie_'. I want to be something more than a barmaid. I want to make my own decisions without them being made for me. I just want a fair chance at happiness. I want to be given a fair chance at life. That's all I've ever wanted really." She yawned once again. "I have never been given that."

Niall sat in silence. He pondered the wish that his granddaughter presented to him. It was a possible gift. He had to be sure that she was sure of what she was asking for. There is much that has to be done when granting a wish of this magnitude; things that she's not aware of come with a wish such as this. She had to be sure that this is what she wanted. Things would change drastically. There will be changes that won't just affect her but everyone in her life.

"Are you willing to do anything to be given this chance …regardless of the sacrifices that have to be made? You must think this through before you answer. When rash decisions are made, one's life can be filled with many regrets."

Sookie nodded and yawned, "Yeah; anything." She didn't think it through at all.

Niall became a little frustrated with her quick and thoughtless answer. He could not bear to make such changes to her life without her thinking things through. She reminded him so much of his son, Fintan. He was always quick to act but never one to think things through. If the opportunity presented itself, he took it. This was a trait that Niall had always wanted to wish away but you can't wish away what's a part of you. Irrationality is such a frustrating trait and Sookie just confirmed that it is hereditary; genetics be damned.

"Think before you speak, my child. Once you make this decision, there is no going back. Many may suffer. The pain would be unbearable for some. Death will come for one." Niall made sure to emphasize all that was sure to come with a wish such as the one that Sookie wanted. "It has never been my way to sugar coat things for my loved ones. I need to make sure that you are aware of what you are asking."

Sookie snuggled into her grandpa's lap. "What is there for me to think about, grandpa? We both know how it's going to end for me. My chances of a happily ever after are not real. Felipe and Freyda will win. My vampires and I will fade into that good night. I've always known that I was not meant for a happy life. Just to be able to believe that a chance at happiness might be possible for me is enough. Possibility and hope are all that I have now." Sookie sighed and closed her eyes once more.

Niall could feel her despair and her angst. He knew that she was frightened at what lies in wait for her. She puts on a brave face but the pain and uncertainty were more than the young fae should bear. At that very second, Niall knew that he would do anything for her. For the first time in his thousands of years, he was going to be the one to make the rash decision.

"Then so it shall be," he said. He began to hum and caress her sleepy head once more. "Many will forget; the faithful and the true will remember. One has to realize that true happiness comes from within. You can't lose who you are. Your past is your path to a better future."

"Thanks, grandpa. Thanks for just letting me believe that it's possible. This is the best dream. It's almost time for Eric to rise," she said sleepily. "You will congratulate him as well? That would please me. You will tell him that you are happy for us? That you want us to marry?"

"Hush, child and rest," Niall said. Before he spoke his final words to her, he kissed her. "You won't see me again until your wedding night but know that I will be there for you at any time before then if you need me. You'll only remember that my gift to you and your vampire is a lifetime of happiness. You'll only remember my gift of happiness. I love you, my child."

"I love you, grandpa," she said as her body fell into the slow rhythm of sleep.

Tears fell from Niall's eyes as his mind went back to Sookie's earlier question; '_Have you ever loved someone so much that you would do anything for them?_' The sweet faery tears continued to fall from his eyes and into her hair. How can he bear to lose the one that he loved more than his own kin; even Claudine? How can he go through the rest of his life and not see her again? She is of his blood. She made him feel as if he has never done anything wrong. She made him feel like the best grandpa in the world. She made him feel as if the light of the fae shines when he rises.

Niall continued to cry as he hummed to his sleeping grandchild. He didn't cry like this when he'd lost his son or his granddaughter. If he didn't love her as much as he does, he would do devilish things to the vampires. He wanted them all to forget that they'd known her. He wanted to wipe her completely from their memories. He wanted to take all of the joy and the love that she had given to them away. They didn't deserve her life or a glimpse of her soul. He then thought what he tried to avoid. He would have to do the same to her. He would have to wipe the vampires completely from her mind. He could not bestow upon her a life of not knowing her true love ...ever. He could not do it to the vampire.

Eric did not deserve such treatment. Sookie definitely did not deserve a punishment such as that.

_'He is an honorable man_,' Niall thought. _'How could I ever say that I love her if I am willing to take all that she loves away without a thought or a care_?'

Over and over in his mind he heard her voice: '_Do you know what it's like, grandpa, to love someone so much that you forget about your own happiness? In the end, their happiness always wins out._'

Niall cried as he caressed his beloved granddaughter's head. '_Yes; my dearest Sookie._ _I know what it's like.'_

Sookie's happiness has won out.


	26. Chapter 26

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: Sooner than Expected**

**Chapter 26**

**There will be one more chapter after this one that will be from the past. We will journey to the land of present time. The next two chapters will be pretty long because we will be going back to the future (no pun intended). I will let you know if there will have to be an additional chapter. I don't want to leave anything out.**

**Hope that you all enjoy. I would also like to thank you all for reading and reviewing. Taking the time to read the story is more than I could have expected. Thank you.**

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><p>I have been sitting in Pam's office for the last hour with absolutely nothing to do. My dear husband and I were supposed to be going to the Olive Garden but after I'd gotten ready to go out, Eric suggested a night at home watching TV. He said that we could order in; well, I could order in. I jumped at the chance to spend a night alone with him. We haven't had many nights alone since we've lived together. Out of the past three weeks of living in bliss, we've had four full nights alone. When he suggested another night of being alone, I screamed yes. And Eric Northman, <em>my<em> Eric Northman, never watches TV. I was going to take this opportunity to introduce him to a couple of my favorite shows. So, instead of the Olive Garden, I opted for a large fry and a chocolate shake from Jack 'n the Box since it was closer to home so off we went. I should have known that my joy would be short lived.

After I'd gotten my dinner and headed back to the car, I noticed that Eric was on the phone. He watched me; his eyes never left mine. I felt my heart drop to my feet when I saw _the look_. I'd seen that look before. I hated that look. I knew who he was talking to before I opened the door. She'd called twice before we'd left home.

Pam called earlier tonight while Eric was in the shower. She sounded funny when I answered the phone. "Oh, Sookie, it's you. I called Eric. Why are you answering him phone? He doesn't normally let others answer his phone." She did not sound too pleased to hear my voice.

Vampires are supposed to be so smart. "I'm his wife, Pam. It's okay if I answer his phone; especially if it's no one but you."

She ignored my dig and continued on as if I hadn't said anything. "Where is my master?"

"You're your usually charming self I see. He's in the shower. Why so evasive?" I asked; not even trying to hide the suspicion in my voice. Whenever Pam is short with me, I know that something is going on that they don't want me to know about. Their favorite excuse is always 'vampire business'.

"There's nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over. Have him to call me when he gets out. We have vampire business to discuss." She was shorter and ruder than normal. She usually says 'see ya later' or 'we'll pick this up another a time' but not this time. She hung up without saying one word.

When I told Eric about it, he said that it was probably nothing and that I've known Pam long enough to know that she's always rude; even to her best friends. "You know that Pam needs to be overlooked at times. She has her ways. You've known her long enough to know this. You've seen how insubordinate she can be with me and I'm her maker." Before he had a chance to elaborate any further, the phone was ringing once again and it was her.

I stood there and watched him when he answered the phone. "Hold on," he said. Placing the phone at his side, he said to me, "I'll take this in my office; vampire business."

Bullshit, I thought as I watched him walk away.

Anyway, as we drove away from the Jack 'n the Box, Eric was unusually quiet. We talked the entire ride there and ten minutes later, he didn't have anything to say. His face had the same expression as it did when Pam called earlier tonight. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but I kept quiet. I was thinking that I would ask him when we got home. Well, the joke was on me. We didn't go home.

"We have to go to Fangtasia for a few minutes. We won't be there very long. I just need to talk to Pam; face to face."

Trying to remain calm, I said, "You talked to her for over fifteen minutes before we left home. When I asked you what was going on, you said nothing. Now you tell me that we have to go see her. We were supposed to spend the night at home alone with no disturbances. You said that we were going to have a nice quiet night at home."

"I was under the impression that we had nothing else to discuss until a few moments ago. I want to spend the night with you but I am sheriff. You do understand my obligations. You are the wife of a vampire sheriff. This is not new to you." He said that with his same old highhanded attitude. I couldn't argue with him. He was right.

"I do and I am sorry. I understand your job title and I know that you have obligations. With that being said, it still doesn't mean that I don't want to spend time with you." After my little speech, I inhaled and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"I just need to speak with Pam for a few minutes." he said.

Here goes.

"Vampire business," he said with a nod.

"Right," I said as I pouted and sat back in my seat.

See… that is what pisses me off. He looked at me from the corner of his eye. I began shoveling the fries into my mouth five at a time and slurping down my shake until I was suddenly stricken with brain freeze. As I grabbed the sides of my head, I said to Eric, "This blows, buster. This really, really blows."

After a few minutes of silence, we pulled into the parking lot of Fangtasia. I can say one good thing about tonight; the bar is busy. Wonderful things have happened since Victor's demise; my husband lives (_well as much as a vampire can live_) and he has a booming business. There were cars everywhere. They were parked on side of the road. They were parked in the wooded lot next door. There is only one vacant spot left and that is Eric's. A guy parked in Eric's spot once and when he came out, the only parts left of his truck were the steering wheel and a tire. I don't know exactly what happened to it. Needless to say, after that night, Eric's parking spot was never taken again.

When Eric parked, I sat in my seat and looked out into the night at the crowds of people. I closed my eyes and dropped my shields. There were voids and ramblings at every corner. There were a lot more voids than normal but the human minds were thinking their same old same.

_Which vampire is going to take me home tonight? _

_I hope the big tall blond comes in; he's hot_. _I would love to fuck him._

**THAT** will **NEVER** happen.

_I can't wait to get fucked by a vampire__. __I can't have sex with breathing, human men anymore.__The sex is not nearly as good__. __I hope I don't see my mom in here again. That was so awkward._

Oh, please.

_I'm not gay but I wonder what sex is like with the male vampires_.

Okay.

It's the same old same; fangbangers waiting to be used up by some anonymous vampire; another typical night at Fangtasia.

Well whoop-tee-ta; shields up, voices out.

Just as I closed my mind to the mindless blather of others, Eric came around to my side and opened my door. He offered me his hand but I smacked it out of the way. "You bring me here and tell me nothing and now you want to help me out of the car? Not a chance, buster! I can manage very well on my own, thank you very much." I said it a little snottier than necessary but so what? He deserved it.

He said nothing. His hulking frame blocked me from getting out of the car. His eyes remained on my face. No matter how mad I wanted to be with him, I couldn't do it. Just look at him standing there in front of looking all tasty and stuff. What was I supposed to do? He was eyeballing me, smirking at me, making me want him; oh he makes me so mad!

"Wanna move?" I asked as I grabbed my melted shake.

He moved. As he closed the car door he said, "There is no reason for you to act like this. You know that I have vampire business ..."

"That's the same excuse you always use when you don't want to tell me what's going on. I'm not a baby, Eric. After all I've been through, I can more than handle vampire business," I replied.

I walked ahead of him. He walked behind me; close behind me, closer than normal. I could feel the coolness of his body through my shirt he was so close to me. His eyes were on me the entire time but I refused to acknowledge him. Upon us reaching the employee entrance, he reached around me to open the door. As he drew his hand back, it brushed against my arm and shivers went through me but still, I said nothing. It made me even madder that he could affect me with only a simple touch.

I heard him swallow back a laugh.

"Buster," I said.

"You love me," he said in my ear as he kissed my cheek.

"So," I said as I returned his kiss.

He didn't swallow back his laughter.

Just as we walked through the door, Pam met us. "Hello, my friend."

My friend …ha; friends don't ruin date night. Eric and I could be at home watching '_The Closer_' or _'Game of Thrones' _but instead we're here. I think that they were even rerunning the first season of _Spartacus_ tonight on Starz. I looked at Eric and thought that he would have liked Spartacus. They are so much alike. I see every quality that Spartacus has when I look at Eric; determination, strength, honor, and valor. Eric is my protector; my warrior, my Viking ...even Pam is...

_'You're mad at them Sookie', _I had to remind myself.

"Whatever," I said to her. With my arms crossed over my chest, I leaned against the wall and chewed on my straw.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked Eric.

Ignoring them both, I slurped the last of my shake as loudly as I could. They both looked at me with expressionless faces. After I had made all of the noise I could make with my now empty cup, I said, "_Ahhh_." Eric had a faint smile on his face. I had to hold my head down so that I wouldn't laugh right along with him.

"She's just being difficult. You know how she gets when she doesn't get her way." Eric was looking at me smiling. He loves me. He can't help it.

Pam nodded at me as she responded to Eric. "I most certainly do. She can be quite a handful at times."

"And that's why you love me," I chimed in.

"Absolutely," Eric responded. "Pam, I'll meet you in my office." In an instant, Pam was a memory.

Eric led me down the hall with his hand resting on the small of my back. I was thinking that he was leading me to his office with the others. Well, guess what? We stopped in front of Pam's office. He looked down at me and smiled. Maybe he wanted to discuss my attitude before we went in there with the others.

"Are you going to behave like this for the rest of the night? If you are, it is not very becoming of such a beautiful young lady. You are acting like a spoiled child." He stepped forward and wrapped his strong arms my waist. He kissed my forehead. I wanted to melt into him but I wouldn't. I was mad at him. "Don't be mad. You love me."

"Yes, I am going to act like this for the rest of the night and I don't care. Loving you has nothing to do with us being here tonight. And why have _we_ stopped in front of Pam's office if the meeting is in _your_ office?" I asked pointing in the direction of the empty office. "No one's in there. I know you're not going to read Dear Abby all night long."

Eric stood stock still in front of me and said, "_I_ am meeting with Pam. _You_ will stay in there."

I stood there and just looked at him with my mouth opened wide. I couldn't help but think about what we'd discussed when I'd first moved in with him. I thought about the promises that we made not to hide things from each other. He was hiding something from me. I should have confronted him before we left home. I should have dug in my feet and not left that house; not that it would have worked but I should've done it just the same. I should have made him tell me why we were coming here while we were in the car.

From the look on his face and the secrecy in Pam's voice, I had an idea of what was going on. It had something to do with Felipe. Why Eric keeps trying to protect me from what I'm already aware of, I'll never understand. He couldn't protect me from the changes that we have to face. I know that things are changing. Since we are going to stand before the council together, things have changed for me. I'm not the same Sookie Stackhouse as before. I'm completely of his world now. If anyone understands that, I figured that Eric would but he keeps trying to shelter me. Our relationship is supposed to be evolving into something more. Or so I thought.

"Fine," I said as I stepped backwards into the empty and lonely office.

He bent down to kiss me and I turned my head and he got me on the cheek. "We won't be here long." With both hands on either side of my face he said, "I will tell you everything later."

"Fine."

"I love you, Sookie."

"Whatever," I said.

We stood there and stared at each other for what felt like an hour. I blinked and he came to some sort of resolve and left me in Pam's office; closing the door behind him. I paced back and forth. The more I paced, the madder I got. Purposely, I would send him bursts of anger through the bond. He would push them back at me with a dash of amusement behind them.

Buster!

After fifteen minutes or so of sitting in that lonely office doing nothing, I read a few of the '_Dear Abby_' columns that Pam had lying on her desk. After tiring of reading the bad advice, I let my mind wander back to my secretive husband and even more secretive child.

I was rude to them; Eric and Pam. I knew that they were only looking out for me but they need to stop treating me like a child. Rather guiltily, I admitted to myself that I needed to stop acting like one. Eric did tell me that there were things that I would not be privy to. Maybe this is one of those things. I shouldn't just assume that every meeting is about me. I have to learn to better accept these things. It's all a part of who I am and who I will become. At that very second, I decided that I needed to stop pouting and get out of this stuffy office before I drove myself mad.

"Well," I said to myself, "let's see what you can get into."

* * *

><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

* * *

><p>As I walk through the bar, I see vampires that I've never seen before. They are all new. I wondered if they asked Eric's permission to move into his area. Most of them were men and all of them were looking at me. I'm not too surprised. Everyone has heard of the telepath. Some of them were whispering to each other. Some of them got on their cell phones as soon as I made an appearance in the bar. I even saw a couple of them inhale as I made my way to the bar. I heard their fangs click into place. They can want me until the dawn. They'd just better not touch me.<p>

When I reached the bar, I had every intention of asking Immanuel what was going on but by the way he was running around, there is no time for idle chit chat. He needs s help and he needs it bad. "It's really jumpin' in here tonight. Need any help?"

Immanuel looks at me as if I've told him that he's won the lottery. "Would you please? Indira, Maxwell Lee, Bill, Heidi, and Pam are all packed up in Eric's office."

I looked towards the back of the bar and frowned. I thought that he was only meeting with Pam.

"The human waitresses are slow as molasses. The new girl, Lily Angel, is as hateful as a fucking snake. I'm working the bar all by myself and I'm struggling. If the customers aren't complaining, the fucking waitresses are. If I didn't think that Pam would kill me, I'd walk the fuck out. Fucking vampire! If I didn't love her, I would risk it! I'm dying back here, Sookie."

And he is. There were people running back and forth to the bar telling him that this drink was wrong or that the waitress spilled his drink on him and still charged him for something that he didn't even get to taste. They wanted to know if the music could be changed to something different. Immanuel answered that question with a quick no. No one chooses the music but Pam. I shuddered as I thought back to what happened to the last guy that changed Pam's music. I wonder if he was still in that coma.

I step behind the bar and grab the nearest apron and help Immanuel out. After about thirty minutes or so, we are caught up and the vermin have quieted down a bit. Immanuel thanked me profusely. "You are a godsend Sookie. Thank you so much. By the by, you look good tonight; True Religion jeans? They fit you well."

"Thanks and yes. Pam bought them for me a couple of weeks ago. She said that she was tired of me looking like Farmer Ted; whoever that is. And you know that I don't mind helping out. I need to keep busy tonight anyway." I looked around the bar at the vampires and they were still watching me. One female vampire held her glass up to me and dropped fang. I smiled and slowly turned away.

Okay.

"How about a drink?" Immanuel asked.

"Sure."

"What's your poison?" he asked.

"Ginger ale, please. What's up with all of the new vampires?" I asked Immanuel.

"I have wondered that myself. They've been coming in here in droves for the past couple of nights. They never leave with any of the humans. They just sit here all night long watching the door." Immanuel cleared his throat. "I noticed how they were all staring at you. Since you've come out, they haven't been as active as they are right now. They haven't taken their eyes off of you. Do you want me to go and get Eric?" He sounded worried and after what he'd just told me, I'm a little worried too but I don't show it.

"Nah, it's alright. Every vampire in the world knows about me. I was at a vampire meeting and used my telepathy to help Sophie Ann. Every important vampire in the world was there and it's been rough on me every since they've found out what I can do."

Immanuel looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Long story," I said.

Just as I leaned onto the bar, I saw the waitress that Immanuel called a hateful snake. With my head, I motioned toward the new girl. "Is that Lily Angel?"

She's as pale as Pam is. Her hair is as black as coal. Her entire outfit is black; her nails and lipstick; black. I'd never met her but I can tell that her personality reeked of nastiness. I can tell just by looking at her gaunt face. One important thing that I noticed is that she is human and her mind is black to me. I focused all of my energy on her and there was nothing there. She may have looked like a vampire but she wasn't one. Her blackness has been made by a vampire. Someone has warned her about me. She'd been sent here. She'd been glamored or taught to keep her mind closed to me.

With a snort, Immanuel answered. "Yeah; she's a total bitch. I don't even think her parents liked her." We both laughed before he continued. "She looks down on everyone in here except for the vampires. She treats them as if they hung the moon and the stars. Pam has had to snap off on her a couple of times because of her rudeness to the customers. As you can very well see," he said as he pointed at her. "It didn't work."

Lily Angel was arguing with a customer. It was getting pretty heated too. Since Eric and Pam were not out here to take control, I've decided to take it upon myself to handle it. After all, I am the owner's wife.

I walked in the direction of the fracas and introduced myself. "Excuse me ladies. Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse." As I pointed in the direction of the bar, I said, "I was over at the bar and I noticed that there's a problem. Now, if there _is _a problem, I'm sure that we can come to some type of resolution if we talk it over." I give them my most devastating smile and hope that it would ease the tension in the air.

All I can say is that it didn't work.

The customer, a young lady, looked up at me. "I'm Julia. And _she's_ just plain nasty," Julia said with a point of her finger. The finger was pointed at Lily Angel. "I asked for a Bloody Bitch and the _rude_ bitch brings me a rum and coke. I asked her nicely; twice, if she would take it back and get me what I ordered. She said that she gave me what I _fucking_ ordered and I wasn't going to get anything else. Can you believe that? She's a terrible waitress that can't do her fucking job _and_ she cusses at me?"

One of the girl's companions chimed in. "I'm Marilee and I have been sitting here all night. Julia did order the Bloody Bitch. We don't drink rum and cokes. They're for old people. The waitress read our orders back to us correctly before she went to get them. Julia ordered the Bloody Bitch. I got the Fruity Fuck. Josie got the Sex on the Beach and Ashlee got the Sour Dick. She said that we were lying. I think that she got pissed because that vampire she came in with was flirting with Julia."

I knew it. She had been sent here.

The other girls that were seated with Julia and Marilee agreed with their friends. They said that Lily Angel repeated their order correctly but gave them the wrong drinks when she came back. They said that Lily Angel had been rude and nasty to them all night long.

Josie said, "Maybe a tan will make her feel better about herself." I thought that she was joking. She wasn't. She offered Lily Angel a business card to her tanning salon. "Your first visit is half off." Her friends chimed in with laughter.

Lily Angel was sneering at the girl when I looked at her. "Apologize to these ladies and get Julia the drink that she ordered. While you're at it, bring fresh drinks for her friends. Then I think that we need to meet with Pam to discuss your attitude."

If looks could kill, I would have fallen dead on the spot. "I gave them what they ordered _and_ who are you supposed to be?"

I pulled an Eric. I cocked one eyebrow and stood before her with my arms down at my side. "Who I am is none of your business _and_ I don't owe you any type of explanation. Just know that you'd better do as I say."

The looks that I got from the waitress and the ladies are priceless. Eric would have been so proud of me. Lily Angel looked me up and down before she stomped off and did as I told her to. All I could think is that, I'm glad that she isn't bringing me a drink.

Immanuel gave me a _'You go girl' _and a thumbs up. I gave him a wink.

Turning back to the ladies, "I promise you that this will not happen again. Forgive us for the way that you have been treated. Fangtasia prides itself on giving wonderful customer service."

They thanked me for my kindness and each one said that they've never had any types of problems before with the other human waitresses. "It's always the lady vampire at the door that's usually rude but never the humans."

They all started talking about how scary the vampire in pink was and how scary her fangs are. Marilee began to blush when they mentioned Pam's fangs. She dragged her fingers longingly over her neck. Leave it to Pam to leave a lasting impression; no matter if it's good or bad.

"Can I ask you a question?" Marilee asked.

"Sure," I said. That didn't mean that I was going to answer her.

She leaned forward and whispered, "Are you the one that's always with the tall, muscular blond vampire; the sexy one? I've seen you with him several times. Are you his girlfriend?"

With raised eyebrows and a shrug of my shoulders, I said, "No. I'm his wife."

The girls looked at each other with their mouths wide open. There were tons of questions swirling around in their heads. They wanted to know how to get a vampire to propose to them. They wanted to know what I'd done to get a vampire to propose to me. They didn't think that vampires could love humans or would ever get married. They didn't seem like the types to get married. They always seemed so free spirited.

Not wanting to answer any of their questions, I turn my back to them and watch as Immanuel made their drinks. My eyes remained on Lily Angel as she brought them to the table. She placed each drink in front of the girls with a little hostility but not enough to spill them or break the glasses. Once they were served, we waited.

"What?" she snapped at me.

"You owe these ladies an apology and you are going to apologize." The devastating smile was no longer on my face.

"Sorry," she said rather rudely.

I shook my head at her. "That's the worst apology I've ever heard. I know that you can do better than that."

I placed my hand on her shoulder. I started to get flashes of images, partial conversations. Anger breaks her concentration. She's not as cool as she pretends to be. She's just like everyone else. She's as good as done.

"Try it again," I said firmly.

She turned around and looked at me; lifting my hand from her shoulder, "I am so sorry that I made a mistake and was so rude to you nice, young ladies. You did not deserve to be treated the way that I treated you. Can you ever forgive me?" she said to me sarcastically. She stood tall as she did her best to try and make me back down from her. Obviously, she doesn't know Sookie Stackhouse.

When she spoke to me like that, Mustapha appeared from out of nowhere. "Do you need me, Mistress?" Mustapha asked.

I hate it when they call me that but since I've been with Eric that is how they've been told to address me around others. There was no need in arguing; it didn't work. They didn't break Eric's rules. Anyway, it takes on a different meaning when the humans hear it. Take these girls and Lily Angel for instance. When Mustapha called me mistress the girls looked at me with a new found respect. Lily Angel didn't care …well, she tried not to care. She was impressed. It also made her think that her promise was going to be fulfilled. I can't wait to find out what that promise is.

Looking at him over my shoulder, I said, "No thank, you my friend. It's okay. I can handle this." I looked at Lily and said, "Great apology; now say it them."

She was seething with anger. Through clinched teeth, she said, "I am so …"

Directly in her ear, I said, "Not good enough. Do it again and do it nicely."

She was so angry that tears were falling from her eyes. She did the apology as I ordered. She said it word for word. The girls were laughing and enjoying Lily Angel's humiliation. Lily Angel was now as red as the Bloody Bitch that she had just served.

"Now, don't you feel better?" I asked Lily.

"Yes," she said with a shaky voice.

Her anger made it harder for her to focus on keeping me out of her mind. She had been sent here to spy on us; me and Eric. I couldn't see who sent her but she is the human of a vampire in Eric's area; a vampire that's with Felipe. She had been promised that she would be turned if she did a good job. There's another vampire here that wants to take me. I couldn't see his face but I know that he wants me.

I turned to the girls and said, "Also before you go, my friend over there, Immanuel, will give each of you a free pass for your next visit."

They each thanked me over and over again for making their visit a pleasant one.

"You ladies have a good night," I said as I offered them my hand. They each looked at my hand as if it was fragile. They weren't sure if they should shake it not. They almost looked afraid.

"It's okay. I'm human. Vampires don't shake hands." They all looked at my hand as if a light bulb went off over their heads. There were nods all around and they relaxed a little but still wondered why a human was being called mistress in a vampire bar.

"Come with me, Lily. We need to talk." For the first time since I'd met her, Lily Angel looked afraid. "Mustapha, please come to join us."

"Gladly mistress," he said. The girl was sandwiched between us as we led her to Pam's office. Her fear was overwhelming. The blackness that enveloped her mind earlier was long gone. The images were now coming to me faster than I could see or hear. I saw many vampires and they were all talking about me. And what I learned broke my heart.

They have already heard that Eric will not have his contract broken by the council. I heard them saying that the human will no longer be under his protection. She will be fair game. One vampire said that Felipe has already spread word that once Eric has been denied, I will belong to him. He is spreading the word that the council members have given him permission to claim me since I live in his area. All of the vampires knew that it was a lie.

Because I am the property of a sheriff, the council has to be petitioned in order for me to belong to another vampire. They were talking about how there are vampires that are centuries older than Eric that plan on laying claim to me. They will kill anyone that stands in their way.

When we reached Pam's office, I told Mustapha to take Lily with him. "I have to go and get Eric. He needs to know what's going on. And you," I said to Lily. "Don't think that you're getting away scot-free. I know that you are here to spy on us. I know everything. The sad part is that you won't be able to get what was promised to you. You're not leaving this bar."

She looked back into the bar before she and Mustapha went into Pam's office. I followed her eyes and whomever she was with, had left her behind. I saw the back of his head as the door closed behind him. Is that the vampire that was speaking to Julia? Is that the vampire that has promised to turn her?

"Is he with you?"

She squeezed her eyes closed and folded her lips inward. _'YES!'_ her mind screamed. _'He can't leave me! He promised!'_

"Thanks," I said to her. I needed to get to Eric.

I looked down the hall towards his office and the door was still closed. Their meeting was still going strong. I know that he is still here because the bond is strong. The closer we are to each other the stronger the bond is. That's when it dawned on me …the bond.

That was the answer; the bond. I knew that I could get the rogue vampire to come to me. As long as I didn't get too far away from Eric, I'd be safe. Just go to the parking lot and back. I wouldn't be gone long enough for him to notice.

"Is everything ok, Sookie?" Mustapha asked.

I nodded. "Take her in there."

With an extremely tight grip on Lily Angel's wrist, he only looked at me. He didn't budge.

"I'll tell Eric what's going on." From the way that he looked, he didn't believe me. "I'm not gonna do anything that I shouldn't do. Gosh," I said as I rolled my eyes.

From the look on his rugged face, he still didn't believe me for a second.

"Go on," I said. I walked in the direction of Eric's office. Just as Mustapha took Lily Angel into the office, I high tailed it in the other direction and ran out of the bar.

There he was; walking in the direction of the wooded lot.

"You can do this, Sookie," I said to myself. "You will be fine as long as you stay as close to Eric as you can." I had decided that if I need him, I'll send him my fear through the bond. I'll scream and he'll come. That's exactly what I'll do.

"Hey," I yelled out at him.

He didn't stop but he didn't walk any faster either.

"Hey," I yelled once again.

He kept walking.

"I know that you hear me." I quickened my pace in order to keep up with him. Still safely under the parking lot lights, I yelled out, "I know why you're here." That got his attention.

In a flash, he was standing right in front of me. "Good evening, Miss. Stackhouse. Do you remember me?"

"Jonathan."

He is the vampire from Portia Bellefleur's wedding. He was the one that said that Eric and Pam told him all about me. He was one of Felipe's vampires. He was a spy. He had no integrity then and he obviously has none now. You never go into another vampire's territory to stake claim to what belongs to him. But he is a part of Felipe's retinue. What more could I have expected?

"Very good, Miss. Stackhouse," he said. "I have come to see if you are as enchanting as you were when we first met and I must say that you are. You're more than you were when we first met; much more." He reached up and traced his finger along my jaw line.

I smacked his hand away from my face. "Don't touch me. Who do you think you are?" I spat at him. "I am married to your sheriff. He would kill you and you would deserve it."

Jesus Christ, Shepard of Judea! I was in his head! He is working with someone to kill Felipe. Before I had a chance to see anymore, the image was gone. The same spy that Felipe used to spy on Eric is now spying on him. It's true. There is no honor among thieves.

When I came back to the here and now, he was watching me. Curiosity has reached his eyes. "What are you thinking about, my dear?" he asked.

I had to remain calm. I had to keep Eric away. Cool and collected; I can do cool. "Nothing about you; you bore me," I said to him.

He was amused by me; staring at me and smiling, retracting his fangs. He circled me as he ogled me. He began to inhale my scent. The tip of his nose brushed against my neck. "You smell so sweet," he said in my ear. His disgusting lips brushed against the skin on my face. "I can smell the royalty in your blood. I hear that your blood is quite unique."

As nicely as I could, I said, "You'll never find out. Did you think that sending Lily Angel here would make it easier for you to get me? Huh; is that what you thought? I belong to Eric and I am his wife. I will forever belong to him. Contrary to popular belief, no other vampire will ever lay claim to me. Make sure you spread the word, will ya?"

Still standing behind me, he used his free hand to push my hair over my shoulder. His fingers traced the curve of my shoulder. _Quick flash_; they are going to overthrow Felipe. They have spies, vampire and human spies in his camp that are working with him and the other vampire that plans on overthrowing Felipe. _Flash ended_.

"I sent her because she was irritating me. It was time for me to get rid of her. I knew that you would find out why she was here and take it from there. That's why she messed up those girls orders. Her jealousy got the best of her. She never did learn to control her anger. She has served her purpose. I know what your husband will do to her. Eric hates spies." He placed his hand on my arm and the images played in my mind like a video.

I squeezed my eyes closed as he touched me. It sickened me but I had to see. The different vampires are here to see if the telepath is as changed as they say I am ...and I am; according to them. They believe that I am more than a telepath for Niall Brigant to have dealings with me. His mind told me that the council members will keep me protected. Why would they have to keep me protected?

The comment, "That pesky scent of Northman's has to be gotten rid of. But once I turn you, he will no longer be of consequence," had broken my concentration. "We can get around that ...odor, for now."

His hands were on me again. I settled into his touch in order to see more of what he was hiding.

"You don't mind my touch now do you, my dear? Once you are mine, you will yearn for my touch."

"Shut up," I said to him in an irritated voice. Not because I didn't like what he was saying but because he was breaking my concentration. "Just shut up!"

Oh my goodness; they are going to auction me off if the council decides against us! And according to his thoughts, they have already done just that! The council has already spoken to the liars face to face. Once it's done in front of me and Eric, the decision will be made. Sandy has gone before the council and said that she was forced to help in the betrayal of Victor Madden. That's why the meeting was pushed up! We have to meet with the council members tomorrow at dusk! They think that the fae and the vampire are dangerous. That we're plotting against the vampires.

My head started to spin. I struggled to breathe. I was shocked as tears of rage and angst began to gather in my eyes. My head started spinning. I had to steady myself before I had a chance to faint. My heart was beating faster than it's ever beat before. I feel as if I'm dying inside. My heart is about to explode.

Oh shit!

The bond!

I suddenly started to laugh. I filled the bond with joy. I sent Eric a burst of love and he sent it back without pause. I closed my eyes and I thought of all things Eric and how wonderful he is and how strong he is. He is my Spartacus. He is noble, strong, and filled with valor. He is my protector, my warrior, and my lover. He is wonderful and funny. He is smart and cunning. The most important thing is that he loves me. Love really did fill my heart.

Once I'd composed myself and open my eyes, Jonathan was watching me. "What?"

He looked at me curiously again. "What is wrong?"

I shook my head and said, "Nothing really. It's just that you're making me nauseous."

He looked at me and laughed. "You are different, little one. Sookie; may I call you Sookie?"

"No," I said. I wanted to tell him to take his cold, creepy hand off of me but I couldn't. Not now. There is too much at stake to let the creeps get the better of me.

"You can do so much better than the Viking. He's a sheriff. What can he do for you?"

"Everything," I answered simply. "He is everything to me. He does everything for me. But you; you're not even a sheriff. You're nothing," I said as I smiled at him. "You're nothing more than a flunky; a fucking lackey. You had no power when we met at the wedding and you have no more today. You couldn't wipe the shit from Eric's boots."

Being called nothing and an errand boy angered him and his images were much, much clearer.

There are some vampires that are going to side with Felipe. They are going to go against us at the council. They are going to side with Felipe and say that they were at the killing of Victor Madden. They are going to say that we approached them and forced them to help us. I used the power of my grandfather to make them side with us. They are going to say that they barely escaped with their lives. Once all is said and done, they are going to kill the king and stake claim to me. Jonathan thinks he's going to be king of Las Vegas. Freyda will have Eric and all will end as planned. I wish that I could see who _they_ are so that I can warn Eric and my other vampires.

"You are a feisty one. I can see that I will have to break you." He gripped my arm with each word.

Laughing at the vampire as loudly as I could, I said, "You'll never break me. Do you want to know why?"

"Enlighten me," he whispered.

Smiling, I said, "You'll never get the chance. You're nothing in this game. You don't already know that? You have no say so. You're no more than a ...fool." His fangs slowly snicked down. "You talk this game of being able to claim me but you have nothing to offer. You have no money. No land. No power." I pointed at him and laughed. "You are no monarch. You can't protect me. You can't even protect yourself. I see death in your future. Now, do me a favor and get your fucking hands off of me."

Obviously, I'd hit a nerve. Anger was all over Jonathan's face. Releasing me with a little more force than necessary, I stumbled backwards. He said, "And your precious Viking can protect you? Do you realize that there are vampires that are older than he is that will kill him? You wouldn't know that because you are a babe in our world. You'll learn soon enough." Jonathan pointed in the direction of the bar and asked, "They don't stand a chance against what is waiting for them; your precious vampire or the members of retinue. I can't wait for you to find out."

That never occurred to me. It never occurred to me that Eric couldn't protect me from other vampires; older and stronger vampires. I have always believed that he could protect me. How would he be able to protect me against a vampire that's way older than he is? How could I not think that there are vampires older than he is? I've put him and the others in more danger than I realize. He'll have no power until he's king and that won't happen until he's married to Freyda and that's if she makes him a king. She'll probably keep as nothing more than a consort, a fucking slave.

Show no fear, Sookie. My Merlotte's smile takes up residence on my face. "And you do? Do you think that you will keep me if your plan to kill the king works out? You have no standing in vampire politics. If you were all fired up important, why would they send you to get me knowing that you would meet the final death if Eric caught you? They knew it. That's why they sent you. Did you think that the lies that you agreed to tell to the council would make you less expendable? Do you believe that you will really take over Las Vegas? I have to say that you are the first _stupid_ vampire I've ever met."

Jonathan started coming at me with his fangs down.

Uh-oh

"Lily Angel knew none of this," he hissed. "How did you ..."

I realized what I had done. I began to step back with my hands out in front of me. "You get away from me!"

"You can read the minds of vampires?" he asked in his most menacing voice. "Does your Viking know this… that you can read our minds?"

"You get away from me!"

He kept coming.

I screamed out for Eric.

Just as he lunged at me, I was covered in blood; his blood. I stood in the middle of the Fangtasia parking lot covered in vampire blood and I screaming as loud as I could. There was a ringing in my ears that didn't stop; wouldn't stop. It got louder and louder. Things started spinning faster and faster. I felt hands gripping my arms. I heard voices calling my name over and over again.

The last thing that I heard was lover.

When I woke up, I was in Eric's office lying on the couch. I had been bathed and my clothes had been changed. I had on one of Eric's Fangtasia tees. Eric was leaned against his desk watching me. I couldn't bear to look at him knowing the danger that I had put him in. I turned my back to him and rested my head against the arm of the couch and closed my eyes. I didn't want him to see me crying for him. I couldn't bear to look at him after all I'd learned from Jonathan.

"Is he dead?"

"Finally," Eric said. "Mustapha staked him."

Great.

"Lily Angel?"

"Almost; Pam is taking care of her."

Good.

"Did you know that these new vampires were here?"

"Not until tonight."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to tell you. I needed to get all of the information first. Jonathan beat me to it."

I knew that he was angry and I knew that he was telling me the truth. I still could not turn around to face him, though. He tried to influence me by forcing his feelings through the bond. He was sending me serenity and love. He was sending me reassurance. I love him for that but right now, I didn't _want_ it. I didn't _need_ it. I just needed time to think this through.

"Stop it!" I yelled at him as I turned to face him. "You can't always do that to try and make things better! You can't force your feelings on me! It doesn't work like that!"

He only stared at me. He let me cry without saying a word. He did not touch me and he did not send me anymore emotions. That is what I needed. That is what I wanted. After I had cried enough, I smiled at him; snotty face and all. He looked down at me and those eyes, those beautiful eyes; his eyes can see right to the heart of me. I love him even more than I did earlier tonight and I can't let him die because of me.

As we watched each other, only one of us knew that our time together would come to an end. Only one of us had the guts to face it. I never imagined that I would be stronger than Eric. I put the tip of my thumbnail in my mouth and looked at him. My heart was breaking.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

He doesn't know that I'm sorry that he ever met me. He doesn't know that I'm sorry that he has to suffer because of me. He doesn't know that I'm sorry that I will cause him and his vampires so much pain. He's lived over a thousand years and because of me, his life could end in just a couple of days. If not for me, he could live another thousand years but because of me, he may not. He'll never know how sorry I am.

"I'm so sorry," I whimpered.

"I understand," he said.

"You don't," I said with the smallest and saddest of smiles spreading across my lips. "You really don't."

For the first time in a long time, he didn't disagree with me. You know, it's kind of funny how you never really see things for what they are until you realize that time is slipping away. At that moment, everything that I love and need was right there in front of me, leaned against that desk. Eric is the most honorable and the noblest man that I have ever had the pleasure of loving and knowing. For that, I will always be grateful. He is exclusively mine and he has remained true to me in every way. I didn't think that it would be possible at first because he's a vampire but he loves me and he's proven that to me in more ways than I can count. We're friends first. He's the best friend I've ever had. That's why I can't lose him. No matter what happens, I refuse to let him die.

"You can't protect me from this," I said to him. "None of you can."

He stood tall and defiantly. "I _can_ protect you. I have _always_ protected you."

I sat up and looked at him. "You could die because of me. I couldn't live with that."

"There is no truth in that." He was determined that we would be together regardless of the costs. The lives of my other vampires didn't matter to him and neither did his own. That scared me.

"I love you so much, Eric."

Instantly he was in front me, on his knees. "We will win this. I swear to you." Eric started to soothingly caress the side of my face. When he saw the tears that were still falling from my eyes, he kissed them away. "You belong to me."

"You belong to me."

He nodded as he kissed me. "Always."

If only it was true.


	27. Chapter 27

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 27**

**Flashback: Modern Day Romeo and Juliet**

**You all are the best. Thanks for reading, reviewing, alerting to the story, and making it one of your favorites.**

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><p>As I filled Sookie in on what I and the other vampires discussed at the meeting, I could tell that she was barely listening to a word I'd said. There were many signs letting me know that she wasn't paying attention. She would nod when there was no question asked. She would smile when there was no reason to smile. Another dead giveaway… there was a look of concern on her face; especially in her eyes. She looked worried.<p>

Since her run in with the vampire formally known as Jonathan, she had been nothing like her normal, argumentative self. In the past, Sookie would have balked to no end once she'd found out that I was having a meeting about _her_ behind _her_ back. She would have argued that it was her life and she needed to have a say so in what was going to happen in her life. She would be unruly if she thought that things were going to happen in her life without her say so. But this Sookie; she was quiet... almost too quiet and too calm.

"Sookie, are you listening to me?"

She looked at me as if I'd just walked into the room. "Hmmm; no, I'm not hungry." Patting her stomach and smiling, she said, "I'm full of fries and chocolate shake. I couldn't eat another bite."

Sounding more frustrated than I meant to, I said, "That's good to know but that's not what I asked. I asked if you were listening to me. With the response that you've given me, I can see that you are not. Please, lover, you have to trust me. You have nothing to worry about. As long as we stay a few steps ahead of Felipe we can win this. We can protect you. _I_ can protect you. I've always protected you. Have you not been there when we've beaten the odds before? By all rights, we shouldn't even be in this predicament that we're in but we are. You cannot give up on us. We have always been fighters. We are going to fight to stay together. Aren't we worth fighting for?"

She looked up at me with sad eyes and nodded. She patted the seat beside her as she scooted over making room for me.

When I sat down, I rested my elbows on my knees as I leaned forward. "I remember William Shakespeare; very complex man. He was a great playwright. His sense of humor left much to be desired and he was quite the drug user. But I digress. I can recall the first time that I saw his play Romeo and Juliet. It was quite beautiful."

Her eyes widened with excitement and awe. She mimicked my sitting position when she asked, "You saw Romeo and Juliet ..._live_?" The wonder in her eyes was priceless.

"Yes. In my opinion, it's one of his greatest stories. He's written many great stories but Othello and Hamlet are his bests. Midsummer Night's Dream was excellent but can't quite compare to my favorites. Anyway, Pam and I went to see the play on the second night of its opening. I remember very vividly the young lady that sat in front of me with her male companion. I couldn't tell you what she looked like or what she wore. I just remember her reaction to the play. She didn't want to see the end of the play. She'd heard from a friend that it was a tragedy and she felt sorry for the ill-fated lovers. The closer the play came to end, the more fidgety she'd get. No matter how much the young man tried to console her, the more emotional she'd become. She kept begging for him to change the end; all the while knowing that he could not. The young man was at a loss." I laughed as I thought about the young girl. "She was determined though it made no difference at all."

"Romeo drank the poison just as Juliet woke up and the poor girl had to look into her dying lover's eyes; that was the worst part for me. To have to look into his eyes and know that it's over? It had to be heart wrenching." She looked at me when she thought about the star crossed lovers. Sadness swept through the bond. I leaned back on the couch and motioned for her to come to me. She rested her weary head on my chest. I caressed her hair as I continued to tell her my story.

"We were finally at the end of the play and Romeo was sitting with Juliette; holding her in his arms; crying for his supposed 'dead' lover. Many of the women were very emotional at this juncture of the play. Pam on the other hand; she found it rather amusing that human women were so emotional. Such nonsense; those were her exact words." I shook my head at that memory. "She hadn't been a vampire for very long so she had to remember what it was like to feel pain at the death of a loved one. I think that she was trying to impress me. I'd seen her using her kerchief to dab away the tears; though I never let on."

Sookie giggled.

"Anyway, the young lady wanted Romeo and Juliet to have a second chance at love. Over and over again, she begged for a second chance for them even though she knew that it would not happen. She wanted them to fight for their love, for what they believed in; each other. Deep down, she knew that no matter how much she cried that they would not get that second chance. The young lovers saw death as their only chance to find the happiness that they so desperately yearned for."

Sookie sighed. She sat up and looked into my eyes. "They weren't given any other choices."

I took her face into my hands and said, "That's where we're different, Sookie. We have a choice. That is not the way it is with us. Death will not separate us. We are more than Romeo and Juliet. Where they were weak, we will be strong. We will fight for what is rightfully ours. Our love will survive any and all obstacles. We will outlast the nay-sayers. We will not yield to our enemies. If anything, our enemies will yield to us. We are worth fighting for. WE are Sookie and Eric. You have to trust me."

She rested her warm hand against my cheek and smiled. "My dear, sweet baby," she said. "I trust you with my life."

She reached up and kissed me. That's when I noticed that her eyes were dim and almost lifeless. She looked drained. It did not dawn on me that she has had a busy day. She had been up most of the day. She went to look at our new home. She had to deal with Mustapha; which she seemed to have enjoyed. She'd had her visit with Niall. He'd given her some dream that she can't seem to remember. She'd even found a traitor in our midst. She'd almost been killed tonight. Just as he was about to pounce on her, Mustapha staked the vampire. He was very lucky.

"Now that we've gotten that all cleared up, you must rest. After you take a quick nap, we have to lea…"

"I have to tell you some things first; things that I found out from Jonathan." She looked solemn and determined all at the same time. She sat back on the couch; Indian style. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked at me and smiled. It was a beautiful smile but it wasn't the smile that I was used to seeing. This smile didn't reach her eyes.

"There is more to the rogue vampires being in our area?" I asked as I held her hand. I felt a fine bit of curiosity forming behind my eyes. She is the first and only human that has ever had the capabilities to surprise me. From the way things were looking, she would be the only one. No one has ever fascinated me as Sookie has. No one ever will.

"Yeah," she whispered.

She sat there in silence. Seconds felt like minutes. Hours felt like days. Her stare felt like a lifetime. The longer she waited to tell me, the more anxious I became. I could no longer stay seated. I took my original position and leaned against my desk with my arms crossed over my chest. I looked at her and said, "What is it, Sookie? Tell me."

She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Tonight, I found out from Jonathan that he and some other vampires plan on overthrowing Felipe as king. They plan on taking his territories and claiming them as their own; Louisiana, Las Vegas, and Arkansas. Jonathan became upset with me when I told him that he had no chance of obtaining either territory. I told him that he was a joke. And I called him stupid." She added in a whispered voice, "I guess the things that I said to him pissed him off."

Sookie was right. He was a joke and he was stupid. How could a vampire like Jonathan believe that he had a chance to claim a territory …any territory for that matter? He had no political standing. He had no assets. He was not a powerful vampire. He was nothing more than a lackey. The one big question that was on my mind was why Jonathan would tell Sookie such things. Did he think that she would not tell me? She is my wife. He's better off dead because he's obviously very stupid. I shook my head as I thought of his stupidity. She continued to talk as I listened.

"They plan on killing any vampires that stand in the way of their plans. I also know that Sandy, Jonathan, and a couple of others have gone before the council. They approached the council on their own out of fear of retaliation by you, me and Niall. They've told the council members that we used the power of my grandfather against them. We told them that if they did not side with us in our plan to kill Victor, Niall would destroy them all.

"Supposedly, you have sided with the faeries because of your fae wife. They plan on ambushing us with this when we stand before the council. The council believes that we are dangerous to the vampire community. I have turned you against your own kind. Once the liars testify in front of us with their allegations, we will be ruled against and we will be immediately separated. We will be called to New Orleans soon. I'm just not sure how soon."

My mind began planning and plotting. My allies would have to be made aware of this bit of information. We could use this to our advantage. Those that are to stand with us at the council meeting are the first to be told. Calls needed to be made. Alliances needed to be stronger than before. I called Pam into my office.

"Yes, master."

"Call Stan, Russell, and Bart," I ordered. "Let them know that we will be leaving for New Orleans tonight. Things have turned quicker than we'd anticipated."

She winked at me and was instantly gone.

Once she was gone, Sookie continued telling me of what she'd learned. "Felipe told you that we would be separated once the ruling has been handed down but what he didn't tell you is that I'm up for grabs after the ruling. He has told the other monarchs that because I live in his territory, I will naturally be given to him. He doesn't know that they've all found out that his boastings are mere lies. He has no rights to me at all," she said as she threw her hands into the air. "When the council members have me protected and safe, they will hold me for an undisclosed amount of time and auction me off to the highest bidder. What I mean by that is that they are selling me off. They want to claim what is yours."

In my coldest and iciest voice, I said, "That will never happen. The fae/vampire war that they so desperately fear will come to be. Neither I nor Niall will ever let them auction off you off like a piece of meat. You are my wife ...and a Brigant," I added as an afterthought. "We will kill them all. We will stand as one; Niall and I. Have no fear my lover; auctioning you off will _never_ happen."

"I know that, baby."

"Why have I not heard of this?"

"Only monarchs are supposed to know but it's obvious that they are telling their most 'trusted' vampires and they have come here to see the soon to be telepathic ex-wife of the Sheriff of Louisiana. They wanted to see what they are going to be bidding on. From what Immanuel told me, the vampires were not active at all until they saw me tonight. You should've seen them, Eric. They were making phone calls and staring at me. It was something to see." She tried to make light of the situation but I could feel her discomfort. "They planned on catching us with our panties down."

I only stared at her as she tried to make an attempt at a joke. "Now, what you have learned will place us further ahead than we expected to be. What I don't understand, is why he would tell you any of this. Did he think that you would keep this to yourself? He must have been one of your potential bidders."

She nodded.

"Well, we don't have to worry about him, do we? Did he give you any hints on when this plan is supposed to take place? Is the plan to overthrow Felipe set to take place before or after the hearing?" Not giving her a chance to speak, I continued talking. "It would have to be after. It would make more sense. If they kill him before my contract is broken, the council would have the right to make the contract null and void if they discover his lies. If they are serious about taking you, they will do this after the hearing." Turning back to Sookie, I asked, "Did he give you any indications at all?"

She shook her head no.

"That's not good. We're going to have to put our plan in motion a lot sooner than expected." I picked up my cell and called Bill. "Make the arrangements happen tonight. Get the plane ready. New information has come to light. There is no time to explain. Pack your things and be here in an hour. We will _all_ be there tonight." I hung up without another word. Giving my attention back to Sookie, I said, "You've done very well, lover. Did he tell you the names of the others that have already spoken to the council members?" I continued to pace back and forth.

"I couldn't clearly see who they were."

For a split second, I almost missed what she'd said to me. With my back to her, I asked, "See?"

"Yeah," she said, "see."

I slowly turned and looked at her. "You could read his mind?"

My voice was colder than I had intended it to be. My eyes must have been just as cold because Sookie flinched when she looked at me. She quickly looked away and squeezed her eyes closed. There was no fear in the bond; only determination and will.

"Yes," she said. She opened her eyes and looked at me. "I don't know for sure why it happened but I have an idea. I think it's because I've been having so much of your blood lately. It happened like that when we were in Rhodes."

"When?" I asked.

"The night after you saved me from Andre when I had to drink from you; it happened during the trial. At first I believed that I was in the lawyer's mind but I wasn't. I was in Henrik's mind. It just happened. I couldn't help it. I've never tried to read a vampire's mind. It terrified me that someone would find out. I've had to deal with it on my own but what was I going to do? Who was I going to tell? You? Sophie Ann? Bill? I don't think so. I was at a _vampire_ summit. I couldn't tell Quinn. He would have tried to do something stupid. So, I kept it to myself." She paused as if she was waiting for me to say something, do something. She was waiting for me to say anything to what she had just revealed to me.

I didn't move.

I couldn't.

I didn't speak.

Again, I couldn't.

I just stood there.

Sookie decided to continue to talk. "It happened in Dallas when I first met Stan. Bill had given me his blood. While I watched Stan, I 'heard' him as he repeated his given name over and over again in his mind. It was as if he was reminding himself of who he used to be; Stanislaus Davidowitz. It was as if he was trying to hold onto that human part of himself." She looked out into space and said, "I think that his glasses are a part of who he used to be, ya know? He wanted to remind himself of who he used to be. I think that he loves what he is but he can't forget who he was." She shrugged her shoulders and said "When I heard it, it scared me. I thought that he could feel me inside of his head because of the way he looked at me. But I've always been able to hide my fears or anger. I smiled at him as if he was a Merlotte's customer. He thought that I was nuts. But he never knew that I was in his head. Tonight is the first time that it's happened in quite awhile."

"When did it happen the first time?"

She almost jumped from the couch. She looked startled when she realized that I was sitting with her. She placed her hand to her chest and laughed as she draped her legs over mine and wrapped her arm through mine. She rested her head on my shoulder as she talked. "Do you remember the night that you hired me to read the minds of the humans? When Long Shadow had stolen that money from you? Do you remember?"

For fear of how I would sound, I did not answer. I only nodded.

"Well, at first your mind was like an endless pit of black snakes but then …boom! Your thoughts were so clear. For a second, just for a second, something inside of you didn't want to kill the humans. If it wasn't necessary, there was no need for bloodshed. I don't know what you were going to do to them but I knew that you didn't want to kill them." She hugged my arm as she continued. "Just like Stan, I could see that you were trying to hold onto some of your humanity. After so many centuries, you couldn't let it go. And I don't care what you say; it had nothing to do with mainstreaming."

She waited.

She scooted even closer to me. "You may not want to hear this but you have no choice. I am determined not to keep anything from you. I debated over and over on whether or not to tell you. I decided that if I was going to tell you about Jonathan, I am going to tell you how I got the information and how many times it's happened. You need to know now because once you turn me, what do you think is going to happen to my telepathy? It is going to be enhanced. You have thought of that haven't you?"

Silence

She sighed. "I guess not," she whispered.

I didn't know what to say. I had thought about her telepathy becoming stronger but it never occurred to me that it would happen before she was turned.

"There was another time," she said louder and clearer. She spoke with more confidence and with a lot more clarity than before.

I stiffened when she said that. It made her grip my arm tighter.

"It was the night that Quinn came into your area without your permission. You came to my rescue …my hero. It was so good to have you home. That night, we made love I know over a million times. We hadn't made love since before you'd gotten your memory back and I'd missed it. When it was time for you to go, I wanted you to stay with me. I couldn't bear to see you go and leave me in that house all alone. I wanted you to get back into the bed with me so that we could hold each other. And just like that," she said as she snapped her fingers. "I could hear that you were thinking the exact same thing. You didn't want to leave me. You thought that you were going to have to force yourself to leave because if you didn't, you would have gotten back into bed with me. You never would have left if you hadn't left at that moment. You'll never know how much I wanted you to stay with me."

I remember that night. I remember looking down at her as she laid there smiling up at me. She looked so beautiful and so happy. She looked as if she'd never been happier. I know that I'd never been happier. As I looked down at her, every memory of our time together, made me even happier than I was before. The fact that she loved me then, after I'd gotten my memories back, filled me with joy. I didn't want to leave her. I wanted to get back into bed with her and never get back out of it.

I looked at her and she was staring at me. She was waiting for me to say something. When I didn't respond, she laid back on the couch with her feet propped up on my legs and continued to talk.

"Will you massage my feet, please?"

"Yes." I did as she asked.

"Do you remember in Jackson when I got staked?" she asked as she mindlessly stroked her side.

I nodded as I rubbed my wife's feet. I guessed that she was about to tell me about another time of her being in my mind or some other vampire's mind. Did she know that was the very night that I realized that I was in love with her? Did she know that I hoped that Bill would be finally dead before she would have a chance to find him? Did she know that she was the beginning of the end for me? Did she know that I wished that I'd never met her? Why? Life as I knew it was over.

"That was when you were in my head."

"Tell me," I said; finally finding my voice.

"You looked into my eyes and told me to let you in. Then before I knew it, Rae Don had ripped the stake from my side. The pain was so excruciating. I screamed for all that I was worth." She shook her head as she laughed at the memory. Smiling, she asked, "Do you remember what you said to me?"

I shook my head no. "What did I say?"

"You told me to let go. I thought that you meant to let go of your hand but you meant for me to let go of the pain. For the first time ever, I relinquished my will to someone else. Oh Eric, when I looked into your eyes, everything that I needed was right there; relaxation, peace, security. Everything was in your eyes. You had taken me from my mind and you were inside of my head. You had complete control and I loved it." She closed her eyes as she remembered that night.

I didn't know that she realized that it had happened. That was when I knew that I wanted her. In her mind, I could only see goodness and light. I could see the love that lives in her.

"For a minute, I was free and it was because of you. Anyway, as far as being in a vampire's mind, those are the only times that it's ever happened; only when I've had large quantities of vampire blood. I've never been able to read Bill or Pam. I think that they have none of their humanity left. They love what they are. Not that you and Stan don't. It's just different with them. I found that kinda surprising with Bill though."

"Why?" I asked as I stopped rubbing her feet.

"Well, he was always telling me how much he wanted to be the man that he used to be when he was human but his mind was always black, lifeless. There was nothing there. It was never filled with any life, no memories of who he used to be. I learned that the hard way while I was in Dallas. Remember when he left me?"

I nodded.

"I knew then that he had no humanity left. He didn't care if I'd been hurt or not. I tried with Bill the first time we'd met but nothing was there. I've never tried with Pam because I could see that nothing was left behind her eyes. I never tried with you or Stan; those instances just happened."

After she'd said what she needed to say, the room fell silent. She turned to lie on her side as I arose from the couch. She watched me as I walked the room and replayed everything that she'd said to me in my mind.

First off, I am a vampire. I should be extremely upset that my wife has been in my mind; that she has invaded my privacy. Regardless of the amount of my blood she's had, I should be upset with everything that I've learned tonight. She should not have been in any vampires mind; friend or foe. She should be chained and punished for what she has done. If she had been any other human, punishment would have been swift and just. Any other vampire would see her actions as those of one who is calculating and manipulative. It should have infuriated me to no end that she had been in my mind; not once but twice. Agony shot through me as if a stake had been driven through my heart. Sookie winced at that exact time but her eyes remained on me.

On the other hand, I could understand why she never told me. She has always known how fiercely private vampires are. She's always been aware of the punishment that awaits traitors of our kind. She could never be sure of my reaction. I shouldn't have expected her to tell me about Rhodes or the night I was standing over her and watching her as she smiled up at me. She had every reason to fear for her life. I am a vampire. Even as my wife, she had reason to fear. When she told of what she'd seen in Jonathan's mind, the iciness in my tone and my stare would have been enough to scare anyone; that includes my wife. I turned around and looked at her. There was but one thing to do. There was only one choice that could be made.

Kneeling in front of her, I asked, "You couldn't see who he was plotting with? Did you hear any of the voices? Do you know if these traitors are part of Felipe's immediate security team or his most trusted vampires?"

She sat up slowly as she shook her head. "I couldn't tell," she whispered.

I kissed her forehead. "That is fine. We will figure this out. We have allies that will be with us tomorrow at first dark. You have done an excellent job, lover." I stood up and looked down at her. "I am very proud of you. You are an amazing creature and you are mine."

"Eric," she whispered as she stood up.

I cocked my eyebrow at her. "The rest of what you've told me has no bearing on our future. You are still my wife. We will tell no one of what you've told me. The other things that we have discussed will forever stay in this room. As far as I'm concerned, you never said anything other than what Jonathan told you."

"You're not mad?" she asked.

"At what? There's no reason for me to be mad. You've done no wrong. You can't help what you can do or who you are. You were just being you and for that, I am proud of you."

It was about to happen. She bit into her quivering bottom lip and I saw it. She was about to start crying.

I gripped her shoulders and said, "Please, don't cry. You've been crying all night. You'll have a headache and your face will swell. You'll be all red and mucus will be dribbling from your nose and no one will able to enjoy their cake."

She filled the room with laughter. "Who's eating cake?"

I threw my arms out by my side and said, "Somewhere, someone is eating cake."

She jumped into my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. "I've never loved anyone the way that I love you." She kissed me and repeated, "Never. You have done what I said you'd never be able to do."

"What's that, lover?" I asked as I inhaled the scent of sunbathed hair.

"You've ruined me for any other man. I'm going to fall in love with you every day for the rest of my life. I am going to tell you every day that I love you and I promise to always be happy with you even when I'm mad at you for being a highhanded asshole. I promise."

"That's one helluva promise."

"It's one that I intend to keep." She kissed me with more passion than ever before. Her legs and arms tightened around me. "I want you to make love to me."

Breaking the kiss, I said, "I figured sooner or later that you'd want me. You can't help yourself. I'm irresistible."

"Eric," she said with a hint of exasperation. "Kiss me and shut up."

I'd never tasted anything sweeter. She began moving on my hardness and moaning into my mouth. As I kissed my way to her neck, I asked, "Lover, are you sure that you want to do this? I know what it means to you to wait."

"I've never wanted you more," she said huskily into my mouth.

I gently sat my wife onto my desk and began to remove her shirt. Before I had a chance to see the most beautiful body I've every laid eyes on, the door to my office flew open.

A very well fed and rosy cheeked Pam entered the office. Looking at me, she said, "We must go. We have only a few hours before dawn." She looked at Sookie and said, "I'm glad that you are well."

"Thanks. You're looking awfully chipper," Sookie said.

With a sly smile, Pam said, "I've always liked lilies." Sookie laughed as Pam returned her attentions to me. "Stan and Russell are on their way. Some of the others are also there and waiting. Others will be available at first dark tomorrow night. I've already went to your house and packed some clothes for both of you. So, pull her shirt down and you two can do whatever it is that you do later. The car is parked out front. And don't think that it's going to happen in the car. Bill and I will be with you." With that said, Pam was gone.

"We're going tonight?" Sookie asked me as the door slammed.

"New Orleans is where we're headed."

She rolled her eyes at the idea. "I hate New Orleans. Last time I went, I was kidnapped and almost killed."

"Don't worry, lover. You'll come out alive. You always do."

She giggled as her fingers hooked around my belt loops. "We're Sookie and Eric," she said as she pulled me to her lips and kissed me. "We'll make it back home without a scratch."


	28. Chapter 28

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: Sookie and Amelia –Back Together Again**

**Chapter 28**

**Previously, I had planned on taking the story back to the future but I cannot. The story will not flow right, alas my dear readers; we will remain in the past for just a little bit longer. Please bear with me for just a little bit longer and we will be where we need to be in no time.**

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><p>When I woke up this morning, all of last night's problems were gone away. I was told about last night's meeting; though I still didn't know who else was going to be in New Orleans with us. I know that Stan, Russell, and Bart are here. I'm just not sure of the others. It felt great to be included with all that was going on. I don't need to know the name of the other players. It was all fine and dandy. It made me feel as if Eric and I were really going to make it. We would win.<p>

After the way things went last night when he learned that I've read the minds of vampires, I finally believe that we are fated. Nothing can stop us. There are no secrets between us and we will be fine. We have made it this far and no one is going to ruin this for us. We will make it.

If that is so true and I really believe it, then why am I feeling so sad? Why do feel as if this was it? I have this yearning to be with Eric. It's almost as if this is our last night together. I need Eric with me. I need to feel him. I need to hear him tell me that everything is going to be okay.

I rolled over to face the empty side of my husband's bed. I desperately need him with me. I don't know why but I miss him so much. It's not the regular _'I miss you'_. This is a heartbreaking _'I miss you'_. I didn't feel like that when I hadn't spoken to him after that whole Victor Madden thing. This feeling feels final. This is so painful. Before I can stop myself, I am crying.

"What is going on with me?" I ask myself.

Why am I being a crybaby? I feel well rested. Eric included me in the vampire meeting with our vampires last night. He knew of my accidental vampire mind reading skills and he wasn't mad. We are still going strong. What more could I have asked for? We both know that our relationship has reached a new level. There is no going back. Things are finally going our way. We are finally getting what we deserve. We are going to face the council and together, we are going to plead our case. We are going to tell them everything that we have learned from the now dead Jonathan and we were going to prevail. Eric and I will walk out of that council meeting as husband and wife, maker and child.

I quickly wipe the tears from my eyes and hop from the bed.

"I'm going to shower," I said with a sniffle.

Not paying attention to where I was going, I end up in the closet. Well, one of the closets. At least I know which closet is housing my luggage. I stubbed my toe on it. I hopped around and cursed under my breath. Luckily, I have no roommate to see what I've done.

After checking behind the third closed door in the bedroom, I finally found the bathroom. It was as large as my living room back in Bon Temps. Everything has already been laid out for me; clothes, underwear, towels. My purse and makeup bag are hanging on back of the door. Someone is making sure that I have all that I need. Well whoop-tee-ta. I am almost ready to start my day.

After I was shower and dress, I go back to my bedroom and check out my surroundings. From what I can tell, Maxwell Lee has excellent tastes. I can only imagine what the rest of his house looks like. My bedroom is really nice. It is big and comfortable. There is silk and lace everywhere. The colors were soft; mostly yellows and whites, summery colors. Fresh flowers are on the vanity and each of the bed side tables. There are pictures of spring and summer scenes on the walls. The bed is soft and plush. The carpets are almost as soft as the bed. For this to be the home of a vampire, it has a really homey feel to it. Maxwell Lee has made everything really nice but it isn't _our_ home.

One reason it isn't home is because there is no Eric in the bed. I wanted more than anything to be with him. I need to feel him inside of me. I miss that closeness. Maybe that's why I'm so weepy. We never got to make love last night. We spent most of the time on the plane. I played cards with Bill and Pam. Maxwell and Thalia watched movies. Indira paced back and forth. I never knew that vampires could be afraid of flying. And Eric; Eric, stayed on the phone the entire flight.

By time we'd gotten to New Orleans, there were only a couple of hours before sunrise. Our alone time consisted of us sitting at a long formal table; on opposite ends no less, and discussing the issues that we were having with Felipe and Freyda. We eyed each other throughout most of the meeting but that was as far as it went. I never got to kiss him good night because he had to stay longer for the meeting. I wished that he could've slept with me but he couldn't. I didn't get a light tight room. I wish we could've spent the night together. Maxine Fortenberry used to say, '_Put your 'wishes in one hand and poop in the other and see which one fills up first'_. You can guess what my hands were full of.

As I stand in the middle of the floor thinking of my husband, my stomach begins to growl …loudly. That was my fault too. Fries and a chocolate shake. I can't believe that my stomach isn't touching my spine. I had made up my mind to explore the kitchen to see what there was to eat. Before I could, there was a knock at the door.

"Miss. Stackhouse, are you awake?" the voice asked me.

"One minute," I said as I straightened my ponytail and smoothed down the front of my shirt. I opened the door and there stood a diminutive woman looking up at me. Her otherness was obvious.

"This is for you," she said as she pushed her way into the room. She'd given me a letter from Eric. She hung a garment bag on the back of the door. "Don't open that bag. You're not supposed to open it until later. By the way my name is Foster."

"Pleased to meet you, Foster." I said as I opened Eric's letter and read it.

Sookie,

Your makeup bag and your gigantic purse are hanging on the hook behind the bathroom door. I have to ask; what is in those bags? How could you carry those things? Your luggage is in the closet (I thought about my toe). Maxwell Lee's assistant will be delivering you a package this morning. You are not to open it until tonight. I want to thank you for trusting me last night. Don't worry, lover. Tonight belongs to us. We will prevail. I will protect you. The others will be here by first dark. I'll meet you in the front hall before the final meeting.

I love you.

E.

Remember, you do not leave the grounds alone.

After I'd reread the letter a couple of more times, I watched Foster as she ran around the bedroom. She began taking the sheets from the bed and I know that she'd done it in less than twenty seconds. She went into the bathroom and came back carrying my towels. When she looked at me, her beautiful eyes sparkled. She is pleasantly round and has a welcoming smile. Her skin is the color of dark caramel and looks just as smooth. Her long black hair is very curly and trailed down the center of her back.

She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips and smiled up at me. "Well, are you hungry?" she asked. Her voice sounded like beautiful bells …harsh, beautiful bells.

I nod at her. I didn't mean to stare but she reminded me so much of Dr. Ludwig. They don't favor when it comes to their looks but they are the same height and they have the same mannerisms. This lady was nicer than Dr. Ludwig had ever thought of being but they could have passed for sisters. I thought that they may be of the same race. I'm not quite sure.

"Are you waiting for an invite?"

She's startled me with her quick and very loud question. "No," I said. "I'm ready."

"Well come on and let me get some food in ya. Mr. Maxwell left me a phone message last night to buy some human food. I cooked you up a nice meal."

She grabbed me by my arm and pulled me with her as we left the bedroom. She squeezed my arm as she dragged me down the hall. She shook her head as if she was surprised by the way my arm felt. I know that I'm not as muscular as Cameron Diaz or Jessica Biel but I'm no flab either.

"Please, forgive me. I'm Sookie Stackhouse," I said as I removed my 'flabby' arm from her grasps.

"Yep; you are," she said as she looked me up and down. "Skinny little thing aren't ya? You'll love what I cooked for lunch. You missed breakfast."

She was talking louder and moving faster than anyone I'd ever met. I dropped my shields to see if I could get a read on her and I got nothing. There was a lot of buzzing and darkness. I knew that she wasn't human but that's not what surprised me. She called me out.

"You can get out of my head right now. You can't read me, dear. I won't let you in and you won't find anything out. I ain't human. Bad manners; if you want to know something just ask me."

"Sorry," I said, feeling ashamed. "What time is it?"

"Noon."

As she pulled me through the house, the workers would not look at me. As soon as they saw me and Foster coming in their direction, they would turn their backs or go the other way. Most of them would drop their eyes. I would say good morning to them but they would not say it back. They acted as if they were afraid of me. I looked down at Foster and decided that maybe they were afraid of her. She is a little rough around the edges.

"Speaking of bad manners," I whispered to Foster.

She snorted. "They have been ordered not to converse with you or look at you. When the master tells them to do something, they do it. You are new to this house so you don't know but Mr. Maxwell is very severe when it comes to his rules. Because of the things that are going on, it is best that they listen to him." For the first time since meeting her, she spoke to me in a quiet voice. "You'll be safe here. Traitors are put to death. I will not allow any betrayals. I promise you." A flash of death ran across her face. Just as quickly as it appeared it was gone.

"What are you?" I asked her.

"Straightforward _and_ nosy, I see. Well, I'm a daemon and I'm part fae. Anything else that you want to know will be on a need to know basis."

"You're part fae?" I asked.

"Need to know basis," she repeated.

Okay.

As we ran down the hall, Foster threw the used towels and bed linens at the nearest servant. "Laundry," she barked at him.

"Yes ma'am," the young man said. He never looked at either of us.

"You have a visitor waiting for you in the flower garden. The table is set up by the pond. I'll bring your lunch out there to ya. Go through those doors," she said as she pointed her finger in the direction of the sunroom.

"You're not going to join us?" There are some other questions I wanted to ask her.

She gave me a smug and knowing look before she answered me. "No. I have work that I have to do and if I have anything to tell ya, you'll know it on a need to know basis. Trying to get me to eat with you will not soften me up, young lady. Need to know basis. Didn't you hear me the first three times?" She's exactly like Dr. Ludwig. "If you need me, I'll be here. Just call." Before I could stop her, she was gone.

When I walked through the French doors, I had to catch my breath. The flower garden was a stunning paradise. As I walked through the garden, I touched and smelled every flower. When I reached the center of the garden, there was a koi pond that was filled with the clearest water I'd ever seen. The koi fish were humongous. Some of them were white, some were orange, and some were black. Many of them were multi-colored. They were beautiful. There were lily pads floating on top of the water; hummingbirds and bees flitted back and forth. The flowers that bordered the pond were beautiful and of different varieties and colors. As I watched the fish swim back and forth, the butterflies and birds began to gather around. Out of nowhere, a white bird landed at my feet. It was the whitest bird I'd ever seen. His eyes were so blue. I'd seen this bird before.

"You've been in my dreams," I said as I stooped down. I thought that I was going crazy. He was staring into my eyes. He started singing and I think that he was singing to me. I reached down to pet his head and he did not move. He sang louder. His song was so soothing and melodic. He reminded me of …

"Sookie!"

When I turned around, there she was running at me; Miss. Amelia Broadway, just as tanned and as cute as she's ever been. Her hair was longer and it was in thick brown curls. Her makeup was light and airy. She looked refreshed and happy. She looked as well rested as I did. Her clothing choices hadn't changed. She was wearing a pair of tan khakis and a white blouse and with a red tank top underneath. She looked good. She looked happy.

"It is so good to see you," she said as she hugged me. "I've missed you so much. Why haven't you called me back? You won't answer my emails. You won't take my calls. You've sent my letters back. I sent you flowers as a peace offering and ...nothing. Are you still mad at me? I've apologized in every way possible. You have to forgive me. I'm your best friend. I know that you don't' believe me but I love you, Sookie. I miss you."

"What letters?" I asked.

She stepped away from me and said, "You didn't get my letters?"

I shook my head no. "I haven't received anything from you."

"But you got my emails and my phone calls?" she asked me accusingly.

"I got ONE email and no phone calls. If I were speaking to you, you would know that I don't live in Bon Temps anymore. I've not lived there in awhile. I'm living with my husband ...in Shreveport." To my surprise, she didn't look surprised.

"I know. I thought maybe you would have called and told me when it happened. Even though we had that little problem (_did she really just say little problem_?) I still consider you to be my best friend. I guess you didn't feel the same. Eric told me last night when I called him. I wasn't surprised but I mean you could've at least told me."

That was truly surreal; Amelia _calling_ Eric and Eric_ taking_ her call? Is she the one that he was talking with on the phone the entire flight here? What other world am I living in? My Eric would never purposely speak to Amelia or take a phone call from her. He would have threatened her life and hung up on her.

"Why did you call Eric? You don't even like him."

Amelia looked hurt. "'_Oh, Amelia, I have missed you too. I don't know why I haven't returned your calls or why I deleted your emails. I had no right to blame it all on you. I have to take some blame. You couldn't have broken the bond without my consent. You apologized for telling Alcide that I was a free woman and no longer bonded to Eric and I forgive you for that. Friends are too hard to come by and I don't want to lose you_.' You could at least say hello, Sookie. I think that I do deserve a hello. I was doing what you asked me to do, anyway."

Before I could speak, Foster came to let us know that our lunch was ready. "Come on. I've set the table. You skinny girls come on over here and eat." She looked at us and shook her head. "You young things need to get some meat on your bones. You're too pretty to be so thin."

Hell, I was flattered. No one has ever accused me of being skinny. I almost said thank you to Foster for calling me skinny but changed my mine. After I took another look at her, I could see why she said that I was skinny. She is as wide as she is tall. When she bent over, she grunted. She looked and sounded so uncomfortable. After some serious thinking, I changed my mind. Maybe I shouldn't be flattered that she called me skinny after all.

When Amelia and I reached the dining area, there was a young man waiting for us. Just like the others, he held his head down. He pulled our chairs out for us and left as soon as we were seated. Foster stood behind us and watched him until he left. Once he was out of sight, she returned her attentions back to us.

She said, "I hope that the setting is to your liking."

I looked at Foster and said, "It's lovely. Lunch looks gorgeous and smells delicious. I can't wait to eat. I didn't eat much at all last night. I'm beyond starved."

Foster smiled as I praised her skills. The table was set with the most elegant pink china dishes I'd ever had the pleasure of eating from. The table was decorated with a vase of pink and white tulips. The food was set out beautifully on the table. There was fresh fruit and veggies. There was iced tea. There was cinnamon crumb coffee cake for dessert. She'd made us open faced roast beef sandwiches. There was macaroni and cheese as the side dish. There was big chicken cob salad sitting in front of us. Everything looked so good. Foster smiled broadly as the sounds of my grumbling stomach got louder.

Amelia looked at Foster and said, "A woman after my own heart." We thanked her in unison.

"If you need nothing else, I'll be on my way." She was gone without saying another word.

As we fixed our plates, there was silence. Amelia would look at me and I would look at her. Once we were seated and ready to eat we just sat there and fiddled with our forks for a minute and cleared our throats for another but said nothing. I poured myself a glass of tea. "Would you like some tea?" I asked her.

"Yes, please," she said. Once our glasses were full, we both just sat there and waited … for what? I don't know. I guess one of us was going to have to be the better man.

Finally, I said to Amelia, "I never got those flowers. I hope they were daisies." We stared at each other for a brief second before we erupted with laughter.

Amelia said, "You are too much."

"Better than not enough," I said with a wink. "I have missed you, Amelia. I got your apology email and I was just so mad at you that I deleted it without thinking. I wasn't in the mood for your apology and I didn't want to speak to you. I was angry. I am sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," she said.

I nodded at her response. "There is. It was easy for me to put all of the blame on you. I didn't want to accept responsibility for what I'd done. And thanks for the research on that thing I told you about."

"No problem. I hope that it helped."

"More than you know," I answered.

"Sookie, I am to blame for Alcide though. I never should've told him anything and I never should have let him in. I knew how you felt about Eric and I didn't care. The Viking's not that bad. He does love you. That's the one good thing about him …I guess. Do you forgive me?"

"Why wouldn't I forgive my best human friend?"

The ice was finally broken. We laughed and talked. I told her about how and why I finally decided to leave Bon Temps and live my life with Eric. I told her about Sam. She felt bad for me but understood that it had to be done. I told her that I sold Dermot the house. I told her that Jason and Michele are pregnant. It was really nice to have someone to talk to. It's good to have her in my life again. Having two daytime friends is going to work wonders for my social life. Speaking of a social life, I decided to ask her about Bob.

"Are you and Bob still dating?" I decided to start with the simple questions before I mentioned anything about her calling Eric and why.

"I dumped Bob. He was a complete waste of time. One minute he would be cool and the next minute, he was a total dick. Octavia didn't trust him and she told him so. She told me that he was no good. When she would put knowing spellings on him, he wouldn't be able to come around. I think that the only reason I wanted him around was because he enjoyed doing different things in the bedroom." She waggled her eyebrows at me and smiled. "If I look hard enough, I can find that anywhere."

I giggled at her. "You'll never change."

"God, I hope not," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"How is your magic going? It has to be going really well. You smell strongly of it. You just seem so much more …I don't know mature maybe… magical? Are you still under Octavia's guidance?"

She smiled hugely. She has always been very proud of her magic. Amelia is quite skilled to be so young. Well, that's what she had always told me. "Thank you for noticing and no I am not. I am no longer an apprentice. I am a full-fledged witch. I am being honored in a couple of weeks."

"Congratulations," I said.

"Thank you. I am being honored for the work that I did when we helped the Weres with Maria Starr's murder. The Weres said that if not for my willingness to take risks, they never would have found her killer. Alcide's going to make me a friend of the pack. He wanted to include you but with all that's going on, he didn't think that was the best idea."

Alcide is slick and smart. He has a witch _and_ a telepath that are considered friends of the pack. He has two more people he can use at his discretion. Alcide is the perfect Were packleader from what I can see. Great job, Alcide; you prick.

"Yeah, I understand but promise me that you'll be careful of Alcide. He's a slick one."

She looked skeptical when I said that but she agreed nonetheless. "I will."

"He probably didn't call and tell me because we haven't spoken since his little seduction ploy failed but we're not going talk about that. Tell me more about what's going on with you."

"Well, I have my own Wiccan shop. It's been opened for a couple of months now and I have my own protégé. She is coming right along. She's a fast learner. I think that she's going to be an amazing witch." Amelia was bright eyed when she told me that. I've never seen her prouder.

"It's because she has a great teacher."

She blew on her nails and brushed them across her chest proudly. "I am wonderful. I don't want to toot my own horn but toot, toot," she said as she pumped her arm up and down.

"I am proud of you. I always told you that you were going to be one of the very best witches around. You have always taken pride in your magic. You were always willing to take risks and it has really paid off; Sophie Ann and now Alcide; a prominent vampire and a packleader. Your skills will be well known for sure now. We're going to have to do something special for you once all this stuff dies down."

"Promise?" she asked me.

"I do," I said.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

As we talked, Amelia told me that she had sold her house too. She said that after Katrina, it just wasn't the same. She tried fixing it up but she was spending more money than the house was worth. She said that the mold and the water damage were just too much. She said that in some areas, there were still some things that needed to be cleaned; buildings that needed to be torn down. In the end, she made the choice that was best for her. She moved to Baton Rouge and she loves it there.

"You couldn't pay me to move back here New Orleans. Some of the people are worse than they were before and there's really nothing there for me anymore. It was time to move up and on." That's must be our new motto; it's time to move on. It was perfect; a new day, a new start.

When we were done playing catch up, I decided that now was as good a time as any to begin questioning her about her phone call to Eric; the phone call that Eric told me nothing about or mentioned during the last night's meeting.

"Why did you call Eric?"

After wiping her mouth and swallowing the last of her sandwich, she said, "I've been waiting for you to ask me that. I enjoyed catching up but come on. I knew that it was killing you to not know what is going on with me and Eric. I'm glad that you stayed out of my head. Thank you."

"It didn't occur to me to look. I knew that you would tell me." She's usually a loud broadcaster. There would times when I couldn't keep Amelia out of my head but she did really well today. She kept her thoughts to herself.

"I appreciate that. My spell must have worked." She looked at me over her glass as she took a sip of her tea and smiled.

I didn't.

"That was a joke."

"It was a bad one."

"Anyway, it was because Felipe has been calling me. He wants me to go against you two. He said that he'd heard that we weren't speaking and that it was because of the Viking. He thought that maybe I'd want to help get you away from him."

"And you called and told Eric?" I asked. "I thought that you hated him."

"I do," she said as only Amelia could. "I love you, though. When we broke the bond, I saw the look on your face and I'll never forget it. Every time I think about you, I see you with that look on your face. I never meant to hurt you. I could tell that you loved him. It didn't even dawn on me until that night. I was just happy to get you away from Eric. That's why I told Alcide. But the morning that you threw us out of your house, I saw the hurt on your face. Your face was filled with pain and betrayal. That was the same look that you had on your face when we broke the bond. You looked as if part of your soul had been torn from you."

"It had been," I said. "You'll never know how awful I felt. I always believed that he was making me feel the feelings that I had for him. I was wrong, Amelia. Out of all the bad things I've ever done, breaking the bond was the worst."

"I know," she said. When she grabbed my hand, she jumped a little. She looked at me strangely. She wanted to say something but she didn't. Instead, she stroked it as she spoke.

"That is why I vowed that I would do anything in my power to keep you happy. Eric makes you happy and I like to see you happy. I would never betray you. I promise." After taking another sip of her tea, she said, "You know that you and Eric are the talk of the supe world. They are amazed that he is fighting so hard for you. They keep saying that vampires can't love. He just wants to keep his prized possession. They're wrong. They haven't seen you two. I don't like him but he loves you so I'll do anything to help him."

I had this sudden overwhelming need to be close to him. I knew that he was close by but I was missed him so much. "He's my life, Amelia."

Amelia looked at me for a long time before she spoke again; still stroking my hand. "There's magic around you. It's very strong magic." She closed her eyes and began mumbling. When she opened them again, she said, "I can't penetrate it. A love spell surrounds you and something else." She closed her eyes and opened them quickly. "Have you seen your grandfather?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes. He came by to wish me and Eric a lifetime of happiness." A look of concern came over her face. "Is there something wrong, Amelia?"

"Maybe it's nothing. It's just that there's more to the spell. I can try and figure it out for you if you want," she offered. "Love spells have different meanings. It's probably nothing. You know how I worry. I'm just being my usual mother hen self; worrying and all."

"No," I said. I've gotten my fill of the witches breaking bonds and spells for me. I decided to pass on her offer this time. "I trust Niall. He'd do nothing to hurt me. He offered to get us a wedding gift and I told him that we wanted happiness. Maybe that's what it is."

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "If you say so but there's something else but I'll leave it alone if that what you want."

"That's what I want."

"Then so be it." She didn't mention the spell again.

"Let me ask you a question, Amelia. What did you tell Felipe? You never said what you told him. I wouldn't think that you would help him since you called and told Eric about it."

She looked at me as if I had sprouted horns. "Yeah, I helped him. You should know that."

"What?" I asked.

With wide eyes, she nodded her head. "Yeah, I helped him."

I frowned at her. "Why did you come here if you're helping him? Why would you say that you're helping me and Eric if you're siding with Felipe?"

"How else would I have gotten him to tell me what his plans are? I very well couldn't have told him that I wasn't going to help him. He's a sneaky little devil; that Felipe. He's been following me, calling me. He is a pain in my pretty, round ass." She started to laugh. "He thought that he was going to scare me with threats and such. Not me, I told him. I told him that he didn't scare me in the least. That impressed him. He said that he understood why we _used_ to be friends. He said that I would not be alone in siding with him. He actually believed that I would work with him so that he could take you. He's a dumb fuck. I don't know how he became king." She shook her head as she pondered that thought.

"How were you able to come here without being followed?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? I am Amelia Broadway. I have spelled myself. I'm safe. For all he knows, I'm still in Baton Rouge. I can do anything. I'm using my many, many powers to help you and Eric."

"What powers are you using?" I asked as I finished off my tea.

"Images and technology," she said. As she talked, Amelia took her cell phone from her purse and played around with it. "As far as he and his idiots are concerned, I'm at home. The mirage spell can stay in place for up to three days. They don't want me anywhere near New Orleans if you and Eric are here. They don't want me talking to you or anyone else for that matter I'm not supposed to be here until later on this evening. He'd probably piss himself if he knew that I was already in New Orleans." After she'd found what she was looking for, she said, "Listen to this."

When she played the recording, I couldn't believe my ears. Felipe was telling her that he knew that she wanted me and Eric apart and if she wanted to side with him in breaking us up, she needed to meet with him at his home. He told Amelia that he would be forever in her debt if she played along with him.

After the voicemail ended, she chuckled. "He begged and begged for me to come to his house. So, I went. When I got there, I was not impressed at all. It didn't look like much, I tell ya what."

"You went?" I asked.

"You bet your sweet ass I did," she said. "Octavia went with me. Because she is 'old' and 'feeble' she was able to walk in with her 'hearing aid' in. It was really a recorder. It was so funny. When we walked in and the vampire guards told her that they needed her earpiece she kept saying _'Huh, can't hear ya! Speak up Sonny. This dang battery must be dead_'. They got so tired of her yelling in their faces, they just let her pass through. They patted me down though. Some of them liked it a little too much. Octavia didn't have to get patted down. She was a little old lady. Nobody groped her. They took my purse and anything that I had on me." Amelia pouted as she talked. "Anyway, we got all that we needed and we were never suspected. Octavia and her man spelled us before we went in. We were safe. Before Eric went to ground this morning, I gave him the proof."

"You're putting yourself in danger, Amelia …for me and Eric. Why would you do that? I would never have let you …"

"I know. That's why I didn't tell you but it's all gravy. I'm not worried so you shouldn't be either. Now, we have two choices on what we can do today. We can go and enjoy an all day spa treatment or we can go and enjoy an all day spa treatment; my treat."

I had to laugh. She's the best friend that anyone could ever ask for. Standing up from my chair, I offered her my hand and said, "Let's go to the spa."

"Well, bitch, let's go."

Before we had a chance to leave, Foster did her famous reappearing act. "You ladies enjoy your day." She handed us our purses. "The guards are waiting by the car."

"Thank you," I said.

Without a word, Foster was gone.

Amelia leaned close to me and said, "The magic and Foster; it has to be your grandfather. I told you. There is strong magic surrounding you." She kissed my cheek and said, "You're loved Sookie. You are truly loved."

"I love you too, Amelia and I'm glad that you're back in my life. I've missed you. Now come on and let's go shopping." I'm not exactly sure, but I think we skipped all the way to the car. It felt so good to have my best friend with me again.

When we went out to the Amelia's car, Warren and Mustapha were there waiting for us. Amelia threw the keys to Warren and said, "Don't touch the radio. Magazine Street fellas; we're having a girl's days out. Let's go, girls." She winked at them and hopped in the backseat.

"We're not girls," Mustapha said.

He looked concerned when he looked at Amelia. I shook my head at him. "She's cool. She just a little," I crossed my eyes and stuck my tongue out as I pointed at Amelia. He smiled and nodded but he still looked a little apprehensive about her being with us.

"Get the stick out of your ass, Mustapha. We have a day of pampering awaiting us. Onward ladies," Amelia yelled when they were in the car. "Somewhere a mud bath is dying to be sat it."

As he drove off, Mustapha said, "We're not ladies."

Laughter filled the car. This was starting out to be the most perfect day.


	29. Chapter 29

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 29**

**Flashback: Surprise Visit to the Council**

**The end is getting near.**

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><p>I watched as she paced back and forth in her dressing room. The day at the spa was what she needed. It gave her a chance to relax. If only that feeling had carried over into the night. No matter how nervous she was, I'd never seen her look more beautiful than right now. The dress that the vampire chose for her was perfect for tonight and for her. She loved it and she said as such but she is part human. She was concerned with it being a white dress. Humans are so …traditional and so narrow minded at times; that includes my great granddaughter.<p>

In the supernatural world white has nothing to do with purity of the body. It is purity of the soul; purity of her heart. Her complaining fell upon deaf ears. Amelia didn't want to hear such nonsense.

"They're going to think that I'm a joke," she responded. "I am no virgin. I'm married to a vampire for goodness sakes! How many human women that marry vampires, actually marry as virgins?"

"You have been involved with the supe world for years Sookie and you still don't understand that they don't see things as humans do. It's your soul that's pure. It's your heart that makes you stand out. Don't you see? It has nothing to do with your sex life." She shook her head as she looked at her friend. "I have to go and get ready. Calm down. You and Eric will do just fine. Okay?"

"Okay," Sookie said.

Amelia kissed Sookie's face before she left the room.

For the last ten minutes, Sookie stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Her eyes were filled with love and fear. The love was for him. The fear was for them both. It still amazes me that the vampire loves her enough to go through all that he has had to go through. Claudine's words resonated in my mind; '_He loves her, grandpa'_. She was right. He does truly love her.

"We can do this," she said to her reflection. Soon after, she went to the chaise to sit down. Once she was seated, she picked up the manila envelope that was beside her. She'd planned to it give to the vampire tonight. She held the envelope to her chest and said, "We can do this. We will be home before you know it and everything is going to be alright. We can do this." As she pinned all of her hopes on her vampire's plan, there was a knock at her door.

Mustapha was coming for her.

She jumped to her feet; still clutching the manila envelope to her chest. "Just a minute," she yelled. She put the envelope on the vanity as she looked in the mirror. She played with the curls in her hair. She made sure that the crystal beading that decorated the bodice of her dress was still there. And then, she smiled.

"Come in," she said in a shaky voice.

When he saw her, a smile of appreciation spread across the Were's face. "You are beautiful, Sookie. Your husband will be pleased. The color suits you. I've never seen another in a more deserving color. Are you ready?"

She placed her hand on his arm and said, "Thank you." She looked at her hands and said, "I'm not ready, Mustapha. I'm so scared. I'm doing my best to be brave but I can't do it. I want all of this to just go away." She looked up at the Were with sadness in her eyes. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him. "This is all happening too fast. Something's wrong. Something doesn't feel right with me and I'm scared."

He hesitated before he decided to hug her in return. "It'll be alright. Your husband was right in doing this. We could not wait for them to gather against you. Their plan was happening quickly and if he'd delayed his actions, you two would have fallen. Requesting an earlier meeting left Felipe unprepared. It was wise of Eric to just show up and request to meet with the council members. He was smart in asking for the hearing to be held in his king's celebratory hall during the Kings and Queens Ball." Mustapha placed his hands on either of her shoulders and said, "The royal members of the council were already present. Taking an unexpected step showed the council members that he has nothing to hide. You have to be brave, Sookie. He did what was right. You and Eric will win this."

"We will win this," she said again with a little more certainty. "Is everyone here?"

The Were nodded. "Everyone has arrived and is already seated. They are waiting for you and the sheriff to take your places before the council."

She swallowed.

She stepped back from him and said okay. She went to the vanity and checked her face once more. Before she went back to the Were, she picked up a velvet box and the manila envelope and handed them to him. "If anything happens to me, give this Eric? If they take me away before I have a chance to, you have to give this to him. He has to have this, okay? Will you do that for me?"

He placed his hand to his chest and said, "I would be honored; though I won't have to because you will be able to give them to him yourself." He put the items inside of his jacket.

She exhaled and smiled. "Let's go."

As they left the dressing room, Mustapha told Sookie of my call. "While you were getting ready, a message was received from your grandfather. He will be here once the meeting is over. He may be a little late but he will be here. He said that you have nothing to fear. He said that tonight, you will get your new beginning; the happiness that you so long for; it will finally be yours. He also said that you must accept what comes with the type of gift you've requested."

Instantly, the worry and fear were gone. Her eyes were happy. She clapped her hands to her mouth and smiled. "I love you, grandpa," she whispered. She did a tiny jump before they took the long walk down the hall of the Mausoleum. My beautiful granddaughter and her bodyguard, walked arm in arm to meet her fated; she hadn't been near him all day.

Sookie doesn't know that the vampire was not allowed to stay in Maxwell's house with her last night. He was told that he had to stay in the Mausoleum until a decision had been handed down. The Pythoness told him that since he requested the hearing sooner, then he would be separated from his human for the duration. She was not allowed to know of his whereabouts. That is why she was made to leave last night's meeting before the others. She was not allowed contact with any of her vampires.

When she and Mustapha reached the top of the stairs, the vampire was waiting at the bottom of stairs for her. When he saw her, his fangs dropped in response. He couldn't move. She walked elegantly and beautifully to him. My princess looked like a queen this night.

When Mustapha passed Sookie to the Viking, he kissed her. "My wife," he said. "You are breathtaking."

He was right. She was absolutely eye-catching in her white evening gown. Her sun-washed curls were cascading over her bare back. Her newly tanned body smelled of his favorite scents; sunlight and Obsession. He smelled her; closed his eyes as he bathed in her scent. She is everything that a faery princess should be; elegant and regal.

"You ordered the dress." Her fingers trailed over the crystal beading as she talked to him. "Do you remember when we saw this?"

He nodded.

She giggled. "The first batch of wedding magazines that I brought home; we sat in the living room and looked through those books I know a million times. I carried them everywhere we went." She giggled again. "Pam got so tired of them that she would run when she saw me coming. Immanuel enjoyed it though. You would be in your office working and I'd come in and say, 'Do you like this one?' You'd laugh at me each time because I would show you the same dresses night after night. You were wonderful. Thank you for doing that for me. I know that it bored you."

"Never," he said as he looked at her. His eyes traveled to her necklace. It seemed right at home as it wrapped around her slender neck. She touched it once more as she told him thank you.

"My necklace is beautiful. You didn't have …"

"I wanted to," he said. "It doesn't quite do you justice."

Reaching up and touching Eric's cheek with her fingertips, she said, "You're spoiling me for other men." They touched noses as they rested their foreheads against each other and closed their eyes.

After some thought, she said to him, "Let me look at my handsome husband." Her eyes glowed with love and admiration for him. She looked him up and down as she admired him. He was debonair in his black tuxedo. He was wearing his hair in a French braid; the way that she always braided it, the way that she liked it. "You are the most handsome man I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. When this is over, I will have you," she said to him.

Bending his head, he delicately touched his lips to hers. He then ran his finger down the side of her face. "Do with me what you will."

"We will win this, Eric and we will be happy; happier than we've ever been."

"Yes, lover; this night belongs to us. You will be mine forever," he said.

"Forever," she repeated.

"We must go now," Mustapha said. "Someone is coming."

"I don't care," Eric said.

"Excuse me, Sheriff, but if you are seen touching her, you will be punished."

Sookie stepped away from Eric and stood by Mustapha's side. Eric reached for her but she stepped away from him again. "No, Eric." At that moment a vampire walked past them.

Eric stood tall and did as his wife ordered. They stood side by side as Mustapha led them to the formal hall. The vampire and the fae were being led to stand before those that would decide their fate. The guards that stood in front of the doors waited for the announcement to be made before opening them.

"I love you," she said as she looked straight ahead.

"I love you, too" Eric repeated.

The sound of the gong was their signal. The doors to the hall were opened. The vampire audience stood upon the arrival of Eric and Sookie. The council members and the witnesses for both sides were already seated on stage. Only I and the council members knew the true friends of Sookie and the vamp …Eric. Sookie's eyes spoke volumes. She did not know that kings would be on the stage as witnesses. She thought that Russell, Bart, and Stan were coming for moral support. Her heart fell once again. But she kept her head held high as they waited to be called into the room.

"You may enter," called the master of ceremonies, Quinn the were-tiger.

As they walked down the aisle with Mustapha leading the way, Eric and Sookie stood tall. All eyes were on them. There was no sound. There was no baited breath. There was complete and utter silence. Most of the vampires were staring at Sookie. They looked as if they were attending a lottery. They whispered and pointed at the prize. It was one that they would not win.

When they reached the stage, Mustapha announced, "The sheriff of Louisiana's Area Five and his wife, Sookie Stackhouse." With that said, Mustapha turned to leave but not before he looked at Sookie and patted his jacket. She smiled at her friend.

Eric and Sookie walked upon stage to take their seats. Quinn kept his eyes on Sookie. She never looked at him. The were-tiger realized that his time with her had passed. An unwelcome look of resolve settled on his face.

"Will each council member please stand and announce themselves?" he asked in a booming voice.

The first to stand was the queen of New York. "I, the Queen of New York, hereby pledge to hear all proof of treachery before passing judgment. My decision will be solely based on what has been presented before me." She sat down and the others followed suit.

As I watched the other vampires present themselves, my son appeared with me. "Father, all is quiet. Everything has been prepared."

I looked at Dillon and said, "Thank you my son. Are the fighters ready to defend their princess if they are needed? You have them on call, armed and ready for battle?"

"Yes, father," he said.

"Everything is ready for her arrival?"

"Yes father," he said. He looked at Sookie and said, "She is quite beautiful. How will we keep the others from trying to make her theirs? She will be wanted and she will be wanted by many." From the looks of it, my son would consider being one of her suitors.

I smiled at my son. "They will have to come through me, my son. She is off limits to _all_. In this world, she is married and it will remain true in ours."

Dillon understood his father's words. "Yes, father. But how will you make her understand? She will want to know why she can't have suitors. She will want to know why she's being saved. How are you going to handle that?"

"Don't worry yourself with that. I will take care of that. You will make sure that it is understood."

He bowed his acknowledgment to his prince. "You will not fight, father? You know that you cannot interfere with what will happen. You will bring war upon us." If I had not known that my son's question was one of sincere concern and not selfishness, I would have punished him.

"I am only here to observe. I will claim her when it is time. Do not worry. I will not fight; unless I have to. If it gets to the point where she can't handle what is happening, I will call you if you are needed. Call Dr. Ludwig and have her waiting at Dermot's home. We'll need her when the battle is almost over."

"Yes father," he said and he was gone.

I turned back to hear the last vampire king make his pledge of fairness. The fate of Sookie and Eric was in the hands of New York, Montana, California, and Georgia. The last to speak was the Pythoness.

"And I, the ancient Pythoness, pledge to hand down the final decision with fairness and accuracy. If it is found that any decision has been falsely made, final death will be handed down. If it is found that false evidence has been presented to the council members, he who has passed false evidence will be put to death. If witnesses are found to give false testimony, death is the only option. You all understand that this is vampire law. Death will come quickly and without regret. You will die in the same manner in which you have lived; without honor."

Yeses were answered from each party present.

After the Pythoness had her say, the vampire audience sat down. Quinn reappeared on the stage carrying a staff. "Will the mistress-of-arms please stand?"

The Queen of New York stood and walked to the were-tiger. Quinn gave the staff to the queen before leaving. "I am the mistress-at-arms of these proceedings against the vampire sheriff, Eric Northman, and the telepath, Sookie Stackhouse. The charges set before them are those of murder and treason against one regent formally known as Victor Madden. The two alleged guilty parties stand before us in order to be judged. The sheriff also wishes to destroy the contract that his maker signed on his behalf. He does not want to be bound to the Queen of Oklahoma. He wants to remain with his human." The mistress then turned to face the witnesses. "Will each vampire please stand and pledge their allegiance."

"Pamela Ravenscroft."

Pam stood and said, "Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse."

"Bill Compton."

"Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse," he said.

Heidi stood and pledged her allegiance to her Sheriff and his wife.

The mistress then asked, "Are there any other witnesses that were not a party to the alleged murder that would like to pledge their allegiance to the sheriff and his human?"

When the hands of the kings of Mississippi and Indiana, Russell Edgington and Bart Crowe, went up, the vampires in attendance were mumbling and surprised. The reaction was just as profound when the king of Texas raised his hand. Each vampire in attendance had assumed that they were going to stand with the king Felipe de Castro.

Proudly watching my great granddaughter, I saw that her expression never changed. She looked as if she knew that it was going to happen. She looked as if she knew that they would stand by her and that she and her vampire were going to win this. She is truly of my blood.

It was not surprising that Sandy Sechrest, Franklin Mott, and Mickey Donatello sided with Felipe. Their lies had been recorded and presented before the council a few days earlier. They will soon be presented before Eric and Sookie.

When Palomino and Rubio pledged to stand with de Castro, a flicker of surprise ran across Sookie's face. Sookie looked hurt. She didn't know the young vampires but it concerned her that they would stand against Eric. After all that Eric had done for them, they had the audacity to betray him. I know my granddaughter. She loves Eric and she won't stand for any kind of betrayals. Regardless of the ones is doing the betraying.

"Will the humans stand and pledge their allegiance?"

Amelia Broadway stood and said, "I pledge to stand with Sookie Stackhouse." Before she sat back down she said, "And Eric Northman."

When she said that, Sandy Sechrest dropped her fangs at Amelia. She fanned her off and turned her head. The next human to stand with Sookie and Eric was Immanuel Robinson. He did the same as Amelia. Colton, he stood with Felipe.

With this announcement, she lost control of her game face. Sookie stood up and said, "Colton. Why are you doing this?"

He didn't look at her.

"Quiet human," the Pythoness commanded.

She kept her eyes on him as she sat down. "I apologize," she said in a soft voice.

I knew what was going through her mind. I'd watched her many nights after the killing; especially after the bond had been broken. She was remembering how she'd gone to Colton's home and comforted him after Audrina's death. She was thinking about the nights that she gave him her couch when he couldn't bear to be alone in the house that he and Audrina shared. She thought of the times she'd given him her shoulder to cry on. The only sounds in the room now, were the sounds of her sniffling.

Eric reached for her but took his hand back when the Pythoness stopped him. "Until a final decision has been made, you will keep your hands to yourself, Sheriff Northman. At this moment, she is NOT yours."

The Viking stiffly turned to face the audience.

"Are all witnesses present?" the Pythoness asked.

"All witnesses but one have been accounted for," New York responded. New York turned to face the audience. "The vampire known as Jonathan was put to final death by Sheriff Northman. He attacked the sheriff's human wife without provocation or reason. Therefore he was put to death and it was found to be justified."

When they said Eric killed him, Sookie shifted but her expression never changed. She knew what it would have meant for Mustapha if it had been found out that he was the one that killed Jonathan.

There was more mumbling from the vampires.

"I will clear the room if anymore is said," the Pythoness said. The room fell instantly silent.

The gong was sounded once more and the doors to the hall were opened. Felipe walked into the room. He walked regally to the low platform; his cape flowing behind him. His high heeled boots sounded softly on the carpeted floors. When he'd taken his place on the platform, his eyes latched onto Sookie.

"Announce who you are," the Pythoness ordered.

"King Felipe de Castro, the king of Louisiana, Nevada, and Arkansas."

"Present your claims." The Pythoness's voice echoed throughout the hall.

"I am here to honor the petition of one maker, Appius Livius Ocella. He signed a contract offering the Queen of Oklahoma his child, Eric Northman as a part of her consort. I hereby honor said contract. I am also here to request that the sheriff and his wife be found guilty for the murder of one Victor Madden. I request immediate separation and that all contact be stopped forthwith. And upon the finding of their guilt, I wish to retain the human as my own."

Eric's bore his fang at the king.

"Eric, please," Sookie whispered. He looked at her. "Please," she said once more. He did as she asked. He retracted his fangs. She gave him a loving smile. Needless to say, everyone noticed that the human controlled the vampire's actions with a simple touch, a soothing smile.

"Listen to your human," the Pythoness said, "or their will be no trial. I will decide your fates right now. Will there be anything else?"

"There are none, your high priestess."

"Then let the proceedings begin."

I eyed the old lady and smiled. My great granddaughter was in capable hands.


	30. Chapter 30

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: Colton's Testimony**

**Sookie's PoV**

**Chapter 30**

**You guys are wonderful and I am so happy that you are enjoying my story. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.**

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><p>I gulped and fought back a few tears. No matter how I try to find the good in humans, they always show me something different. I thought that Colton was better than he actually was. I wouldn't be so hurt if I'd seen him for what he was. All those nights I'd shown him comfort and I never saw a hint of betrayal …never once. Maybe this is my fault. I shouldn't have been so concerned with his sorrow. I should've kept tabs on him. I should've visited him night after night then maybe I would've known. If I had only been more attentive, I wouldn't be surprised at what he's doing. If I had gotten to meet with him last night, we could have been prepared for his betrayal. I would have seen what was in his head. I could have seen his betrayal. I could've seen him for what he is. Then I looked to the right of him.<p>

Palomino and Rubio; how could they? Why would they? They had to have been threatened by Felipe for them to betray Eric as they have. They couldn't even look at him. This had to have been done against their will. They respected Eric. They fought for him … with him. If they had come to him to let him know what was going on, he could've protected them. They have no reason to doubt his honor. He has always been good to them. He gave each of them jobs and a home when they didn't have one and this is how they repay him? He has always been fair with the vampires in his area. Where is Indira … Parker? Were they not asked to testify? They were here last night. Have they been punished because they would not help Felipe? My nerves were getting the better of me. I needed to relax and think things through. I inhaled and did my best to calm myself down.

For the first time since we'd been in the room, I turned to look at Eric full on. I wanted desperately to speak with him. My only source of comfort was that I could feel him. I looked as his handsome face as he looked straight ahead; showing no emotion. The very sight of my vampire took my breath away. His blue eyes twinkled as I stared at him. My warrior was burning with power and self-assurance. At that exact moment, I could see why he is so ...domineering and his presence is so strong. It was beyond me how anyone would even consider going against him; against us.

I started to think back to Rhodes and how Eric gave me his strength when I questioned Henrik. When I was frightened, he gave me the will to keep going. He made me stronger. I know that as long as he is with me, I can do anything. This council meeting is no different. He stood with me and I will stand with him. I looked at Colton and I knew what I needed to do. I will not stand by and let anyone betray us any longer. I will not put the humans before Eric. If I love him then I will stand with him through everything and anything. I know what I have to do.

"And you killed him?" The question made me turn my focus back to what was going on.

Smugly, Pam said, "Yes." She was very cool and very calm. With each question that they threw at her, she never faltered. I was very proud. I was proud of them both; her and Bill.

Bill was just as cool. As a matter of fact, I'd never seen him cooler. When California yelled at him for participating in such an act, I could see the humor behind his cool brown eyes. Bill answered every question without pause and the smile never left his eyes. I loved looking at him tonight. He was different. He has changed. His eyes are filled with life. It took forever for the life to come back into his eyes and finally it is there and it is beautiful.

"You are in love with your sheriff's human, aren't you?" Felipe asked Bill.

"Yes," he said.

I don't know how it's possible but the room is even more silent than it was before. I looked around the room and each vampire has a look of surprise on their face. They didn't expect Bill's honesty. I did. Bill has made many mistakes and he has faltered plenty times but I trust that he will nothing to harm Eric. I know at one time he wanted Eric dead but because I told him that it would hurt me, he kept his feelings about Eric to himself. So, they shouldn't be surprised. Bill isn't all bad. As he talked, I looked at him and smiled.

"I'll forever love Sookie. My sheriff is aware of this. She is aware of this. My sheriff is also aware that I would never do anything to harm what they have because I love her. He knows that I will protect her with my life. I love her enough to let her go." And he has.

Felipe gave a sinister laugh. "You would do anything for her? Even lie? Kill?"

"Yes," he said.

"You expect us to believe that you did not threaten others to kill your regent for this …telepath?" Felipe spat.

"Yes," Bill said. "I don't make threats, your majesty, but I will tell you this. If it's comes down to Sookie's life, then Sookie lives."

Felipe gave Bill a quizzical look. "Do you think that you still have a chance with her?"

"No," Bill said. "My chance has long passed. But I will forever love and protect her."

Felipe gave a flick of the wrist and the Pythoness excused Bill. He gave me a quick look and nothing else. For some reason I knew that after tonight, Bill and I would be no more. He will be nothing to me. I hung my head and cried. Not the silent crying but the stooped shoulders type of crying. Eric sent me love through the bond but it did not relieve my pain. It hurt to know that I will no longer have Bill in my life. Eric looked at me from the corner of his eye. What was I going to tell him? I don't know how I know but I'm going to lose Bill. I wouldn't know what to say because I don't know how I know.

"May I?" Pam asked the council.

"Fix her so that we can proceed," the Pythoness said.

Pam came over and handed me a tissue. She placed her hand on my shoulder before she walked away. She and Heidi watched me intently as the council members called Colton to stand before the council.

His back was to us as he faced the council members. They threw questions at him left and right. He told them everything. He told them of us going to his house and asking him to help us. He told them of the meeting that we held at my house. He told them of how we used Bubba to get Victor to show up at Fangtasia. He told them that because Bubba is the King, we used him to get Victor's guard down. He told them everything that we'd done …and some things that we hadn't done. Eric and I admitted to what we done and denied the lies.

Because he was not allowed to face Felipe because of possible glamor, Colton had to keep looking at the council members when Felipe began to question him.

"Did you not contact me and tell me that the telepath also threatened you with the wrath of her great-grandfather if you did not help her?" Felipe asked. His voice was filled with disdain and hate.

"I did," Colton said.

"Was it true?" he asked accusingly.

"It was."

"What did she say about her great-grandfather?"

"She told me that he was the most powerful of all men. He is deadly. She told me that my life would end if I did not help them. She said that he could torture me for years or he could kill me instantly. It would be whatever she wanted him to do. She told me that I would end up like my wife." Colton held his head high in defiance as anger filled him.

"What else do you know about the telepath?"

Now that question surprised me. What does he mean what _else_ does he know about the telepath? There's nothing else to know about me. I have no secrets.

"She lives with two other men."

Oh. That.

"They are not human. I have seen them in the same bed on different occasions. She pretends to love the big vampire but she is not true to him. They laugh and talk while they are bed. The younger one walks around the house naked." I closed my eyes when I heard Eric's fangs click into place. Pam held her head down in order to cover her _'I told ya so'_ face.

The vampires in attendance were talking loudly now including the council members. I am going to have some serious explaining to do when this is over. I'd never told Eric about that. In all honesty, I'd forgotten to mention it. It was really nothing to tell because there was nothing to it. Now, it is.

"You've seen her with these men while she has been married to the 'big' vampire?"

"Yes."

"What is their marriage like?"

"She controls him. He does whatever she says."

"Do you think he's under her spell?"

"Yes."

Felipe gave another flippant wave of his hand. Before they could excuse Colton, I stood. "May I address the council, please?"

"Speak, human," the Pythoness said.

"May I ask him a few of questions …if you don't mind?"

"You may," she said.

"Thank you," I said. Colton was still facing the council members. "Do you blame us for the death of your wife?"

"Yes," he said. "If you had never come to our home, I would still have my Audrina."

"But you wanted to get even with Victor. He killed your brother. He did horrible things to your mother. You had a choice. When we came to your home, you could've turned us away but you didn't. You wanted this just as much as we did. Did you tell us to leave? Did you slam the door in our faces? Did you report any of this to Felipe when we first approached you?"

Colton did not speak.

"Victor destroyed your family and he was destroying my husband. His business was falling off. He was losing money. His name was at stake …his honor." Colton kept his back to me. "Victor wanted Eric killed and wanted me for himself. We did what we had to do ...and you agreed to help us. I've never mentioned anything to you about any of my family members. We never forced your hand. Did we ever force your hand?"

He still did not speak.

"You know that the men in my house are my family; my cousin and my uncle. They were there to protect me. You've also heard me arguing with my cousin when he would walk around naked. You were there. Were you trying to use this because you thought that Eric didn't know?" He didn't but I had to think of something.

He continued to ignore me.

"Did you tell them that I would allow you to stay in my home because of your grief? Did you tell them that you would cry to me night after night? I was there for you, Colton. When you needed someone, you always had me. I have never done anything to betray you …never. We never wanted your wife to die. We never wanted anyone to die …no one but Victor."

Colton continued to look at the council members as if I wasn't speaking to him.

"You said that you've seen me control my husband. In what ways have you seen me control him?"

He didn't speak.

"You can't say because you've never seen it. We argue but that's not control. That's a couple arguing. You had to have had arguments with Audrina. Did that mean that you controlled her? Your feelings for Audrina are different than my feelings for Eric. I love him. He is my husband and I will do whatever I have to do to keep him alive and with me and killing Victor was our only option. It was either us or him."

He still wouldn't say anything.

"Please, Colton. You have to tell them the truth. You have to."

Before I knew it, my head was flooded with images of vampires at Colton's house; two. I couldn't see the vampire's faces but I saw them paying off Audrina's funeral expenses. They'd given money to Colton to betray us. The vampires told him that it wasn't fair that Eric and I got to stay together when we caused the death of his wife. His anger was fueled because he was shown pictures of me and Eric kissing and laughing in Fangtasia. He was shown pictures of us walking hand in hand when we walked through the woods behind my house. Then I saw it. Colton had been trying to find a way to get even with us since the night that poor Audrina died. He wanted us separated. We didn't deserve happiness because he no longer had it. He didn't care what he had to do to get what he wanted.

"Look at me, Colton," I said.

"He cannot look at her. She will be in his mind," Felipe protested with the sound of his boot heel stomping on the platform.

I looked at him and said, "I don't have to be looking at him to know what he's thinking. He wasn't looking at me when I saw that he has been bought and paid for."

Felipe stopped talking.

Oops.

The council members dropped fang once that revelation was made but only one of them spoke.

The Queen of New York took over. With her staff pointed at Colton, she asked, "Who paid you, human?"

Colton did not answer her. I took that opportunity to walk back to my seat and sat down.

New York eyed Colton with annoyance. "Do you remember the laws that the high priestess advised you of? Did you not hear that any deception would be punishable by death? You decided to testify before this illustrious council, you were included with that. Now," she said as she walked around him; her long red nails tracing the outline of his neck. "Who paid you?"

He did not speak.

He didn't have to. I could see the fear in his mind. The smell of his fear filled the room. I'm no vampire but I could hear the sound his heartbeat over my own breathing. I heard fangs clicking all around me. His fear was all that the vampires needed. Blood lust filled the air. Each of the vampires present had fully extended fangs.

"Glamor him," the Pythoness ordered.

New York spun him around. Colton's eyes were wide open. New York eyed him intently and asked him again. "You will tell me the truth. You will tell me everything that you know. You will leave nothing out. Do you understand me?" Smoothness dripped from her voice. She was almost kind with the way that she was speaking to him.

He nodded.

"Who paid you?" Her voice was dark and husky. She was looking at Colton as if he was going to be the last meal she'd ever have. She kept licking her red lips as her thumb rested on the pulse in his neck.

"I don't know. I didn't get to see their faces. The vampires wore masks. They told me that I would be able to get my revenge if I sided against Eric and Sookie. I wanted them to suffer as I did. I wanted them to miss each other as much as I miss Audrina. I wanted the vampire to walk the world for the rest of his days without her. I wanted him to know what it feels like to not have the one that you love more than anything in this world gone. I wanted him to miss her every day just as I miss my Audrina. They should have to suffer as I have. If they'd never come to our home, she'd still be with me."

"Were you threatened in anyway?"

"No," he answered coldly. "I did it because I wanted to."

New York's fangs were almost as large as Eric's. I began to imagine the damage that she could do with those fangs. My heart was pounding in my chest. I suddenly realized that he was about to die. It was different for me this go around. I knew that it wasn't because of me. This was his fault. His betrayals and his lies are going to be the cause of his death. I braced myself for what was about to happen next. New York released Colton from her glamor and he blinked several times before he realized what happened.

The AP pointed her bony finger at Colton. "Your death will be carried out by our mistress-of-arms; the Queen of New York," the Pythoness announced. "Your offense is punishable by death; a death that will cause you great pain. It will be as painful as possible. As stated earlier, you lived with no honor therefore you shall die as you have lived."

I raised my hand once again. "Excuse me," I said.

I rolled my eyes as I heard Eric make a very human noise. He sighed. He thought that I was going to try and get the council to let Colton go. Being the bigger person, I ignored him. I kept my focus on the Pythoness.

"What is it, human?" the Pythoness asked with a hint of frustration.

"I want him to see my face when you do it. I want to look into his eyes."

Eric sent a huge jolt of pride through the bond that almost bowled me over. The vampires on the council could not believe their ears. You can only imagine the looks on the faces of the other vampires.

"As you wish," the Pythoness said. I knew that she was blind but I know that she looked at me. She could see me just as clearly as I could see her. Each member of the council looked at me with astonished looks on their faces. "Before you do this, Miss. Stackhouse, I want to ask you a question."

"Yes, high priestess," I said.

"Why do you want him to see your face?"

With no inflection in my voice I said, "Because he betrayed us. What other reason would there be?"

There was no response.

I stood behind New York and looked at Colton. He looked at me. I could see his pain for Audrina and his hate for me and Eric. His hate for us almost diminished his pain. I wanted him to see that there was no pity in my eyes for him any longer. I no longer felt pity for him in my heart. I wanted him to see that I believe that he deserves to suffer for his actions. I wanted him to see that I feel _nothing_ for him. I wanted the last face that he was to ever see to be mine. More than anything, I wanted to see the life drain from his eyes.

Before I knew it, Colton's screams filled the Mausoleum. The sound of the queen's fangs biting into his neck was just as loud. Colton thrashed about under her bite but could not get away from her. With each pull of his blood, the sounds of his screams were getting fainter and fainter. His dead eyes remained on me. When the visions in Colton's head were gone and the life had drained from his eyes, I took the seat by my husband's side.

With my hands resting demurely on my lap, I turned to Eric and smiled. I have something to say to him and I am going to say it. I'm not going to whisper. I have nothing to hide and I want all of them to know it.

"We will win this and you will be mine."


	31. Chapter 31

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: And So Russell Edgington Takes the Floor**

**Chapter 31**

**I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. We get a little more of our favorite flamboyant vampire. As we all know, he loves to be the center of attention.**

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><p>When Sookie walked behind Beth, the Queen of New York, to watch the life drain from Colton's eyes, I've never be prouder of her. When she raised her hand, I assumed that she was going to ask the high priestess to spare his life; beg for some other type of punishment for the traitor. I know how she feels about betrayers.<p>

One betrayer's name comes to mind; Lorena. She wanted to kill Lorena, not because Bill left her for Lorena but because Lorena betrayed him. But when it comes to humans, she always had a different attitude. She wanted them to live and to be punished with human laws. She believed our laws to be too archaic. She didn't want the human to suffer. She didn't want them to die but not this time. My lover, she has gotten her revenge. When the high priestess asked her why she wanted to watch, there was but one simple answer and it was the best answer.

"He betrayed us," she said.

The normally stony faces of the vampires in attendance were now faces filled with surprise. She has done me proud. She stood with me and she stood with me as my wife. There will never be another for me. Sookie is my true wife. She is my soul mate. She is my warrior and my protector. She is my everything. She will forever stand with me.

When she sat by my side, she took my hand; ignoring the rules of the council. "We will win this. You will be mine." The self assurance that was in my wife's voice was what I did not expect.

"We will win this. You will be mine."

Those words resonated in my mind over and over again. The feel of her hand in mine; it was pure elation. I expected her be fearful and apprehensive about our chances together but the woman that is sitting with me is so much stronger than Sookie has ever been because what happened next was brazen.

She brought my hand to her lips and kissed it …or so they thought. She didn't kiss me, she bit me. My fangs slowly snicked down as she fed from me. Unafraid, my lover, my wife, was feeding from me. She looked as if she was kissing my hand but all the while she was feeding from me.

As the wound healed, she lips remained on my hand. She smiled at me through hooded eyes and said, "You are mine." The vampires in attendance could smell her lust for me. I could hear fangs dropping all around me. How I wished that I could have made love to her last night.

Felipe's voice ruined our moment. "It's fine that you believe that, telepath, but this trial is far from over. A decision is yet to be made."

Sookie said nothing when she turned to face him. Her face was filled with contempt for the king. A trace of a smile played at the corners of her mouth. She looked at me and said, "You'll remember me." She placed her small warm hand against my cheek. She nodded and said it again, "You'll forever remember me, my dearest love."

"Forever, you are my wife." I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it. She is simply breathtaking tonight. Everything about her is breathtaking. Her attitude and her personality are the most beautiful things about her tonight.

"Enough," the high priestess bellowed. "The king is right. This trial is not over. Your human sits up here and acts as if she has not a care in the world. Your acts of violence have not been forgotten. A regent has been sent to his final death without a trial and your human lover," she said as she pointed at Sookie with disdain, "sits here and claims you as hers? Does she not understand the significance of this hearing?"

"She understands perfectly," I said with added venom in my tone. "With all due respect, until you reach your decision, she is _still_ my wife."

The Pythoness stood. "Are you being insolent, sheriff?"

"Not at all," I responded in a more humble tone. "I'm only stating the obvious."

Sookie again raised her hand. "May I speak?"

The Pythoness was beginning to show frustration with Sookie. "Speak, human," she said.

"Forgive us. These interruptions will not happen again," she said. She placed her hands demurely in her lap and looked straight ahead at Felipe. The smile on her face was deceitful; it didn't reach her eyes. I knew what she was doing. I knew why she'd fed from me. She was in his head.

I watched her as many emotions flowed through the bond; anger, hate, fury, and sadness. That was the most shocking. Was the sadness for Felipe? Was the sadness for the others? My gaze fell upon Felipe. He was enjoying the way she was watching him. He had to believe that the looks that she was giving him were looks of lust. He looked at me as if he's already won …poor, fool. He doesn't realize that his fate is about to be sealed.

"Sheriff," Gerard, the King of California, yelled. "Do you not hear me? Do you have any questions for the human, Immanuel?'

"None," I said. "He is truthful."

"Telepath," he said to Sookie. "Do you wish to question the human?"

"I stand with my husband," she said. Immanuel was excused.

De Castro gave Immanuel a flip of his well manicured hand as if he did not matter.

"Who will be the next witness," the high priestess asked.

Cindra, the Queen of Georgia, wanted to hear from the other kings that were present. With her elbows propped up on the table and her chin resting on her hands, she said, "I want to know why kings would come to the aid of renegade vampire and his rebellious human. I must say, in all of my eight hundred years, I have never been as curious as I am right now. I can't wait to hear what it is that they have to say."

Neither of us flinched at her description of us. Sookie looked as if she didn't care. She smiled at Cindra. I did nothing. There was nothing to say or do. What Cindra said didn't matter. The only thing that matters to me is Sookie. The tenderness of her love for me pours through our bond. As I bask in her love, I ready myself to listen to the kings.

The Pythoness called the kings forward. Stan was the first to step forward. "Why are you here, Stan?" Cindra asked him. "What business do you have with this human?"

Stan walked to stand in front of us. "I am here because she and her Viking are of strong character." Stan turned to look at Sookie. "This rebellious human, as you describe her, should garner respect from us all. I was in Rhodes when the FoTSs members diminished many of our numbers." Stan walked until he was standing in front of Sookie. "She saved me and my child. She saved many in my retinue. And for that, I will be forever grateful. Many of you that are here this night are here because of her, because her quick thinking, her telepathy." Speaking directly to Sookie, he said, "I am forever indebted to you. You have my allegiance." He placed his hand over his heart and gave her a slight nod.

Stan returned back to his original position; standing before the council. "I will not stand before you and sully her or the Viking's names or their intentions. I will not dishonor myself with lies. I will not dishonor the blood with deceit. I was never threatened; regardless of what you may have been told. I was never approached by Ms. Stackhouse or the Viking. If anything, I asked them if I could speak on their behalf."

Cindra leaned back in her seat and looked at Sookie. Sighing heavily, she said, "Hmmm. You are intriguing, Ms. Stackhouse." Still looking at Sookie, she asked, "Do you have any questions for the king, Felipe?"

De Castro looked appalled. He shook his head no. His face was filled with anger and disappointment. A smile broadened across Sookie's face.

"You may be seated and thank you, your highness," the high priestess said.

Stan bowed to her and headed back to his seat. Before he made it past Sookie, she stood from her seat and shook his hand. She whispered, "I will hold you to your word." She lightly kissed his cheek and smiled. "Thank you."

Jealousy flowed through me. Irritation was not far behind. She sent me a wave of love and assurance. When Sookie stepped away from him, Stan had a different look on his face. Behind his glasses a smile reached his eyes and he nodded his head once again. He stopped in front of me and nodded. I bowed. He proceeded to his seat.

"Russell Edgington and Bartholomew Crowe; kings of Mississippi and Indiana, will you please step forward and speak?" the Pythoness asked.

Russell stood and Bart stayed seated. "I will do the speaking this evening." Over his shoulder, Russell said the name Bernard. Bernard came onto the stage pushing a cart that was carrying a slide machine. While Bernard set up the equipment, Russell began to address his captivated audience.

"As my fellow royals and vampires in high positions know, every year I have an '_As you Wish Ball_'. Those that want to partake in the week long festivities are more than welcome to come; just so long as you RSVP. Many have been turned away because they don't RSVP. I can't stress that enough." He turned and waggled his finger at the crowd. "RSVP'ing is very important; especially if you want to come to one of my shindigs."

"We don't have time for these games, Russell. Continue," the high priestess stated.

"Please, forgive me," he said very flippantly. "Well, a few nights ago it was brought to our attention, Bartholomew and myself, that Sandy, Franklin Mott and Mickey came here testified before our illustrious council that they were forced to participate in poor Victor's …shall we say, impending punishment? From my understanding, he wasn't very trustworthy." Russell turned to Felipe and said, "I would think that you would be grateful considering he was looking to take control of your kingdoms but what do I know? I'm a known gossip." He gave Felipe a hardy laugh.

The vampires on stage only stared. Sookie giggled with him.

Before he could be reprimanded, he said, "Kidding." He turned to Bernard and asked, "Are you ready?"

Bernard bowed deeply and said, "Yes, my king."

My eyes were blazing. I knew what was coming. I had been waiting for this all night long.

Sandy knew what was coming. Her face was filled with fear. She stood up hastily and said, "What is this disruption?" she asked. "We were told that other humans that were not involved with this meeting would not be allowed to attend. And this Bernard comes in here with this contraption no less? Is the king of Mississippi and Indiana making a mockery of these proceedings?" From the look on Sandy's face, she knew that it was a mistake when the words rolled of off her forked tongue.

Russell dropped his fangs and grabbed her by her neck. "Bernard is no human. His gift is his ability to look human. He is of _my_ retinue. How dare you insult him by calling him a human! Don't ever question the motives of a king; especially my motives. Discredit my intentions again and I will end you where you stand." His southern drawl becoming more pronounced. Dropping her to floor, he said, "Remember your place, underling."

The other royals agreed with him. Winona, the queen of Iowa, ordered Sandy back to her seat. "If you show disrespect to a king or queen of these proceedings again, anything that you may want to say will not be heard. Your tongue will be ripped from you treacherous mouth. Now apologize and return to your fucking seat."

Sookie looked at Sandy's crumpled body as it lied on the floor. There was nothing in her eyes; the same look that she bestowed up on Colton. Sandy stood and apologized to Russell before taking her seat. "Please, forgive me."

"You will not speak again until spoken to," Winona told her.

"Yes, your majesty," she croaked.

"Proceed," Winona said.

Keeping his focus on the council, Russell said, "What I'm about to show you is that Ms. Sechrest is a liar, a complete fraud. Bernard, I need the clicker." Bernard walked to his king and handed it to him. As he proceeded to take his position behind his king, he looked at me and winked. Sookie never missed a beat. She saw it and she looked at me. I looked at Russell. This time she sent me a flash of irritation. She remembered him from the night that she was staked. That is something that I didn't want to think about; much less remember.

The first picture that appeared on the screen was the date and time of the party. "Each slide will have the date and time prominently posted in the corner. I like to keep track of these little soirees. This slide shows the layout of our home and the date and time that the party started. Bernard," he said.

Bernard walked to the screen with a pointer just as Russell began to speak. "As you can see, in each room and each entrance, there is a camera. They are in real time so the times that appear will be accurate." Bernard returned to stand behind his king.

Click.

"As you can see, there are humans everywhere. I try to cater to my guests. I had three guests in particular that wanted special attention. Sandy wanted a week's worth of attention. Mickey only wanted three days worth of attention." Russell turned around and looked at them both. "Isn't that right? Sandy wanted African American women and Mickey wanted whatever was available. He was into torture but that was not allowed." Russell waved his point finger back and forth as he talked to the two vampires.

Click.

Sandy was on the screen now with several young women. There were over twenty different slides and they were each dated and timed.

Click.

Mickey's escapades were next. He only had three days worth but he had over one hundred slides. He and Franklin were into sharing; among other things. Many of the slides were offensive to Sookie. She closed her eyes and winced on the first three. After which she kept her head down and her eyes closed through the rest of the exhibit.

The screen was white once again. Bernard was dismissed. Sookie raised her head and opened her eyes.

"As you can see, it was not possible for her to have been present for poor Victor's demise. She was enjoying the flesh of humans …and Mickey as well. Oh, yes and Franklin." Russell turned and said to Sandy, "Your memory must be flawed, my dear. There is something else that I'd like to add. Stan is correct about Miss. Stackhouse. She is an amazing creature. She was staked when she visited my hometown. She saved my second, Betty Jo from meeting the final death. She pushed BJ out of the way and took the staking herself. She's a brave girl. She has a history of saving our kind when they are in need. She is a credit to her race. But contrary to what these liars may have said about her, she _is_ an honorable human."

Winona looked at Sandy with disgust. "Thank you, Russell. Sandy Sechrest, Franklin and Mickey, stand before us."

Sandy looked at Sookie and me when she walked by. She dropped fang on Sookie. Sookie never flinched but I did. Because she was threatened, my temper flared and I rose to my full height. I was prepared to attack but was stopped by Winona.

"Stand down, sheriff," Winona ordered. I did as ordered once Sandy walked away. "Russell, you may leave the stage."

As Sandy slowly walked to face judgment, Russell stopped in front of me and Sookie. We both nodded at him. Russell expected the same thank you that Stan received. A flash of surprise ran across his face when he did not get it. His agenda was not as pure as Stan's. Sookie's no fool.

"No kiss on the cheek, Ms. Stackhouse? Not even a handshake?"

She shook her head no. "With the reaction that I got from Eric for kissing Stan's cheek, I don't think that I should do it again."

Russell kissed the back of Sookie's hand before going to his seat. He gave me a _'you're in my debt'_ look. Sookie mumbled something as Russell walked back to his seat. Before I could get her attention, California began to speak.

Gerard, the king of California, said, "You stood before this council only days ago claiming to have been threatened by the Viking and his human. You expressed fear of death. You stood by your king and made these false accusations. I would hope that your king was not aware of such deception." He looked at Felipe before he continued to speak. Gerry leaned onto the table and asked, "Are you a liar, Ms. Sechrest?"

Beth pointed in the direction of Russell's evidence. "She's obviously a liar. Not unless she's going to try and dispute the verifiable evidence that the kings of Mississippi and Indiana provided to this council this night. Do you dispute his proof of your lies… of your deceit?"

Gerry answered for her with a sinister laugh. "What could she possibly say; that she has a twin?" He leaned back in his chair and looked at Sandy. I've seen that look on his face before. I've been around when he's handed down punishments. He is one of the most vicious and sadistic of our kind. Everyone here knew of Gerry's panache for handing out the most barbaric of punishments.

Sandy finally looked afraid. "What about Mickey? Franklin Mott? They stood with me when …"

Gerry waved a dismissive hand at him. "Your concern should not be with what's going to happen to them. But I promise that each of you will surely meet the final death ...eventually. Do you have anything to add, Franklin? Mickey?" Gerry motioned for the two vampires to come forth. Once they were standing before the council members, Gerry said, "Explain your reasoning behind your lies."

They told the council how Sookie brought strife upon them when she had the human Tara Thornton taken away. Franklin told of how Tara used him. He told of how she took gifts from him but no intentions of making herself available only to him. "She wouldn't even drink my blood when I offered it to her. My sole intentions were to take care of her but she denied me. She sealed her fate with her actions. I tired of her and did with her as I wanted. She was mine and so I passed her on to Mickey. She was of no use to me anymore."

"And the sheriff took her side against me," Mickey said. "He reported what I'd done to my maker. She called to me to her in order to punish me for what we have always had the right to do. If Franklin did not want her, I had every right to her! He gave her to me! She was mine!"

Gerry looked at Beth and for a moment they both had flickers of amusement in their eyes. "You know that it's against the law to pass humans around like that unless they give you permission. Did she give you permission?" Beth asked.

From the shadows, Salome came forward. "She did not. Mickey brutalized this young human girl known as Tara. And yes, the sheriff reported it to me. That was the right thing to do. That's what he was obligated to do. He is Sheriff of Area Five. After all, Mickey is my child. If he is in another vampire's area and he is breaking the laws, Sheriff Northman had every right to tell me." Salome's voice sounded like the hiss of a snake. She was slowly walking in Mickey's direction. "I have been looking for you, Mickey. You never answered my call." She jerked his head back; exposing his throat. "You are to come when your maker calls you. How many times must I punish you? Such insolence," she whispered. She licked his neck with her tongue.

Mickey couldn't move. He couldn't speak.

"You disobey me _and_ you tell lies? Open your mouth."

When he did, she gave him an open mouth kiss; or so we thought. Salome used her teeth to rip Mickey's tongue from his mouth. His blood poured from her mouth and down her chin. Her white dress was no longer white.

Sookie wrapped her arms around me and buried her face into my chest. Knowing that Salome was not done, I placed my hands over her ears. Mickey's screams would soon be unbearable.

"I bring before the council that I should be the one to punish him. He is my child. Let me do with him as I please."

The other council members left that decision to the Pythoness. Without much thought, the Pythoness granted Salome's wish. "Take him; he is yours."

She never took him anywhere. Just as I said, his screams were unbearable. She went straight for Mickey's throat and drained him of every last drop of his worthless blood. His eyes and cheeks were sunken in. Just for fun, she reached into his chest and ripped out his heart. Because he didn't have any blood left, the only sludge was the sludge from his heart. Her dress was ruined and she didn't care. She cackled at the punishment that she just handed down. Gerry watched her with fascination. From the look on his face, he wanted to participate in on the fun.

Salome looked disappointed that the kill ended all too quickly. "Awww, pooh," she pouted. "May I have Franklin? After all, this is his fault. Mickey was never as insubordinate until he and Mickey began socializing. Let me have him." She smiled demurely

"He is yours," the Pythoness said.

"I'll take my time with you." Salome grabbed Franklin and threw him over her shoulder. Her sinister laugh filled the hall long after she was gone. The Pythoness motioned for one of her guards to clean up the droplets of sludge that used to be Mickey. When the sludge was cleaned, I released Sookie.

She looked around as if she was ashamed of her reaction. "Thank you," she whispered.

The vampires were filled with bloodlust but the Pythoness did not care. "Silence," she yelled into the audience. "Gerry, continue with your ruling."

"A quick death is too good for her."

Sandy looked a Felipe; the look was begging him to come to her aid, to stand with her as she stood with him. Being the honorable king that he is, that is exactly what he did. He decided to speak on her behalf.

"I can't believe this! I stood by her side and it turns out that everything she has said is nothing more than lies. She has told these vicious lies. I took her at her word and believed all that she said to me … to you all," he added as she waved his arm in a sweeping gesture. With his hand to his chest, he said, "You are right, Gerard; a quick death is too good for her. She should suffer for her lies and her deceit. She is a disgrace to our kind. Do with her as you wish."

Her eyes were suddenly filled with her true nature. Rather coldly she replied, "You question my truthfulness? You are the one that …"

Quicker than the human eye could see, Felipe had punched Sandy in the jaw; shattering it to bits. His face was completely impassive. The right side of Sandy's jaw was now on the left. "Never disrespect your king!" he growled.

I turned to look at Sookie. She was looking straight ahead. This time she did not flinch. She did not wince. She looked perfectly majestic and mystifying. She looked as if she belonged on the stage with the rest of us.

"You will be chained with silver and buried thirty feet below the ground for all eternity after you've been tortured and beaten beyond repair. You will not have the means to heal your wounds. Your hunger and loneliness will drive you mad. The only way for you to find comfort will be for you to bring the true death upon yourself. You will be buried with a silver stake. If you do not have the strength or the will to kill yourself as you should, death will not come to you at all. You will go made from loneliness and hunger. All whom agree say aye."

Each vampire raised their hand in agreement.

The high priestess banged her gavel. "A just punished has been served upon you. You lived with no honor so you shall die with no honor. Guards, take her away. Her grave shall remain unknown. He, who divulges that info, shall be punished in the same manner."

Each guard bowed deeply to her.

"Take her away."

Sandy did not fight when they grabbed her by her arms and legs. Her gaze remained on Felipe de Castro.

That was the end of Sandy Sechrest.


	32. Chapter 32

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 32**

**Flashback: The Faery, the Witch, and the Vampire**

**I want to thank you all for reading, reviewing, alerting, and making this story a favorite. You'll never know how appreciative I am that you've given your time to me.**

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><p>When the witch took the stand, Felipe was extremely proud; joyous even. It thrilled me that he didn't know that the witch was going to win this for me and Sookie. It made me feel …happy to know that he had no idea what was in store for him. The look that was on his face was priceless. He was smug and proud. His chest had grown three sizes when he saw her walk onto the stage. I couldn't wait to see him fall. Sookie and I would finally be free of his wrath. I couldn't wait for that smile to be wiped from his face.<p>

The way that he was acting with the witch was too much even for him. I'd never seen him act in such a way when dealing with humans; even those that are beneficial to him. Felipe was being very overly cordial to the witch; asking her if she was comfortable, making sure that there was nothing that she needed. Telling her how beautiful she looked. Asking her if her trip was a safe one. He was going overboard. It was obviously too much for the high priestess because she ordered it to stop.

"Leave the human alone," the Pythoness ordered. "Her well-being is none of your concern. You may be king but before this council you are an underling. You will respect this council by knowing your place. You will not fawn over the witnesses. It is uncalled for and unnecessary. Have I made myself clear?"

Felipe's eyes were filled with fury. "You have," he replied. He didn't like being called an underling in his area; the king of Louisiana being called an underling …and in his own state no less? From the look on his face, it would never happen again.

"Human, why have you decided to come forth?" the Pythoness asked the witch.

Amelia looked at Felipe before she spoke. He nodded at her as if to be giving her his blessing. She smiled at him and nodded in return. "The truth about the Viking and Sookie needs to be told. Their actions leading up to that night are very important to why we are here. It is my voice that will speak the truths that you are in search of." She looked at Felipe again and winked.

He gave her a radiant smile. He smiled deeply when the witch told them of how he called her and how he arranged for them to meet. His smile deepened even more when she told them that she agreed to help him. She told them about the 'protection' that he ordered for her. She needed to be protected from me and Sookie. We were a danger to her and would do anything to keep her from telling her story to the council members. He even offered protection for her father; knowing that he means so much to her. She said that he told her that it would be awful for her to suffer such a devastating loss.

"If I didn't know better, I would have taken that as a threat," she said with a smile.

He shook his head no. "Never," he said. "Never would I do that."

Again, she smiled. When she mentioned their private meeting, the corners of his mouth slowly began to fade away. She was saying things that she wasn't supposed to be saying. He never gave her permission to repeat that. Needless to say, the more the witch spoke of her meeting with Felipe, the radiant smile that was once present was no longer there. Anger was now on his face. His eyes were filled with murderous rage. If he could have, he would have killed her right then.

Cindra watched Felipe as Amelia began to tell the council of her meeting with him. I watched Amelia as she spoke. I've never liked the witch but tonight, I have a new found respect for her. She spoke with confidence and without fear. I knew that if I was proud of the witch, Sookie had to be. But when I looked at her, she had a different look when she looked at Amelia. She was looking at her friend with love and she was crying. They weren't sad tears. We were watching her; Pam, Bill and I, with much interest. She was smiling, glowing, and crying. When she realized that we were watching her, she looked at Cindra as she questioned Amelia. We embarrassed her. With her back to us, she waved us off. Pam and Bill held their heads down in order to hide their smiles. Our attention went back to the proceedings.

"What happened to make the king contact you?" Cindra asked.

I remember that night. That was the first time she'd called and told me about it.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>I was sitting in my office waiting for Sookie to end her last day at Merlotte's. She had only an hour to go and I was anticipating her arrival. I could feel her happiness and her joy as her day was coming to an end. I was dreaming of her finally becoming my true wife and my lifelong mate. Her feelings of happiness were strong tonight; stronger than ever before. I closed my eyes and relished in her joy and the feeling of her life that flowed through me. I felt human again, alive. Just as I was going into my downtime, my phone began to ring.<p>

"Northman," I answered.

"Well, hello vampire. It's good to hear you sound so well. How have you been?"

I fell silent. That voice was like silver to me.

"That's good to hear. In case you didn't know, it's me …Amelia …Amelia Broadway. I was Sookie's roommate."

I knew who it was. I just had nothing to say to her.

"You don't have to speak. I didn't call to speak _with_ you anyway. I called to speak _to_ you. I know that I am the last person that you ever wanted to hear from but there is something that you need to know. I wanted you to know that your king has been calling me and having me followed; wolves during the day, vampires at night, and anything else in between. He's been watching me for quite some time now. He's contacted me and wants my help. He wants to destroy you."

When she said that, she had my full attention but I still said nothing to her. It didn't seem to bother her very much or either she didn't notice. I think that it was the former. She continued to talk.

"He wants me to go against Sookie at the council meeting. He mentioned your name but Sookie is the only name that really stood out." She paused as if she was waiting for a reaction. She got nothing. "Someone told him about the bond being broken. I tried to find out who'd told him about it but he wouldn't tell me. He said that was none of my business. He told me that I didn't need to concern myself with that. I just needed to know that he knew."

She sighed. "I take blame for that. It is my fault that he found out because I did run my mouth a little bit and for that I am sorry. I didn't mean to run off at the mouth like I did. It was stupid, I know. Anyway, he asked me if it was true. I told him yes. I told him that it was broken because Sookie wanted to be sure of her feelings for you. She didn't know if she really loved you or if you were making her love you."

"She loves me," I finally said to the witch.

"I know," she said in a more humble voice. "I told him that she loves you. She didn't know it until we'd fucked up. I can't get the look of her face out of mind. When we broke the bond, she looked as if a part of her had died. She looked lost." As she cleared her throat, she said, "I never meant to hurt either of you; especially her. I am sorry, vampire. I don't expect you to forgive me but I'm sorry just the same. I haven't talked to her in quite awhile. Is she okay? Is she alright? Have you seen her? Have you spoken to her?"

I said nothing.

"Will you tell her that I miss her and that I'm sorry?" There was a tremble in her voice but it had no effect on me.

I said nothing.

"I understand your silence. I wouldn't like me. You don't have to speak. I only called to let you know what's going on. Felipe has asked me if the bond was still broken. I told him that I didn't know since Sookie hasn't spoken to me in a couple of months. He asked me if she was protected. I told him that more than likely she was since you would never leave her alone. I told him that you would never let any harm come to her. I don't know why I never saw that before but I do now. You've always put her first." She paused and laughed at her revelation before she spoke again. "He invited me to visit him at his royal compound in a few days. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going."

"Why?"

"I have to make things right with Sookie. If I can get him to tell me what he wants me to do, I can use it to go before the council for you and Sookie. He wants to take her and he is determined to take her and he'll do anything to get her. He's dangerous and he doesn't care who he hurts just so long as he claims her as his own. I called her house to warn her but her uncle said that she wasn't there. He wouldn't tell me where she was. He said that he would not allow me to hurt her again." Saying mostly to herself, she said, "I never meant to hurt her. Anyway, I warned him about Felipe and the other vampires. He said that he's put wards on and around the property."

"Thank you for telling me."

Softly, she asked, "Will you please tell her? Will you tell her that I'm sorry and that I love her? Please?"

I said nothing.

"Well, I'll call you back after I meet with Felipe and let you know what's happened."

I suddenly could feel fear flowing through the bond. There was so much fear and anger! What was happening to her? Sookie was in trouble! She needed me! "Okay," was all that I could say to the witch. I had to get to my wife. I ended the call and did all that I could do. It wasn't until a last night that I'd heard from the witch again. As I thought about our conversation, I realized that I never told Sookie what Amelia said.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>When my thoughts were brought back to the here and now, Amelia had just finished telling the council of her face to face meeting with Felipe. The high priestess was not pleased with what she'd heard. "Felipe," the Pythoness said. "You led us to believe that the witch came to you." She kept her eyes trained on the king. "It appears to me that everyone that you have brought before this council has lied. Tell me," she said. "Are they following your lead?"<p>

He shook his head, and said, "I cannot believe that you are taking the word of this witch … this … this …human!"

The Pythoness smiled. "Only moments ago, you were fawning over her. You making sure that she was comfortable and happy. You wanted to make sure that she'd arrived in New Orleans safely and now she's a liar? You are willing to throw her under the bus? What has changed in the last fifteen minutes, Felipe?"

Gerard began to laugh. "Maybe it's because she is telling the truth and he didn't expect that from her. Is that it?"

"That is an even more preposterous statement. I am a king and I deserve to be treated as such! I take offense to what you are insinuating! I have always been honorable and truthful. I have never been so insulted!"

"Duly noted," the priestess said.

"May I speak, your highness?" Cindra asked.

A simple nod was the Pythoness's response.

Cindra began to laugh at Felipe. "You are offended?" She looked at Gerry and Winona and laughed some more. "He's offended." They joined her in her ridiculing of the king. Their dead, steely eyes were evil and mean. They wanted to offend him. They wanted to anger him. They were trying to make the real Felipe come to the surface. From the way that he was looking at them, it worked.

There it was. His eyes displayed his true intentions. Soon, his mouth followed suit. "When this is over and I have my telepath with me, you will all bow to me and beg for my forgiveness before you meet the final death. You are in my area and you are calling me a liar? Your punishments will be long and painful before you are finally dead." His face was unemotional. "You will beg for mercy and you will find none."

For the first time since Amelia began to testify before the council, Sookie looked at Felipe and smiled. She mumbled something that I could not hear. Felipe heard her because he looked directly at her. She finally looked at me and smiled but said nothing. I wish that I could tell what was going on in that beautiful head of hers. At times, she is a mystery to me. She looked at me and smiled before returning her attentions to the council.

Winona and Gerry continued to laugh at Felipe. As they laughed, Cindra spoke. "It is good to know that you have at least an ounce of courage; especially to threaten those that have your fate in their hands."

Winona agreed with her fellow queen. As she spoke her German accent came through with each word. "I have a suggestion. Let's let the witch go about her business because we are done with her …for now. I think that Felipe has the right to confront his accuser, don't you think? That would only be fair." She looked at the Pythoness and asked, "Would it not be fair to allow Felipe to dispute what the human has accused him of? After all, he is the king."

For the first time in centuries, the high priestess smiled. To see that smile, was horrifying. The creases in her old face looked as if they hadn't moved out of place ever. That frightful smile caused her fangs to drop into place. They were twice the size of the oldest vampire's. I've never seen the high priestess look as joyous as she did at that moment. At that moment, I knew that she knew something that we didn't and from the look on her face, she couldn't wait to share it with us.

"Would you like to do that Felipe? It is your choice but mind you, if there is any rebuttal to what you say or if there is proof of your deception, you will be punished severely including the final death."

"I will dispute her claims. I will prove that she is a liar and that she is a part of the Viking's plan. Their deceptions will be made public. I will make sure of that. I have absolutely nothing to hide. There should be nothing to refute after I have told of what has happened within my retinue." Pointing at me and Sookie, he said, "They are the ones that will be exposed as the liars. I will defend my name with truth and honor."

The Pythoness was quiet for a moment. I could tell by her posture that she was excited to hear the king's tales. Her response was not lost on anyone in the room. She looked in Amelia's direction. "Human, you may step down."

Amelia was pleased with what she had done. She stood up for her friend. She made her sure that the truths were heard from her mouth. She wanted to prove to Sookie that she was deserving of her friendship. I was proud of the witch but she will always remain one of my least favorite people. I respect her integrity but it goes no further than that.

When she walked past me and Sookie, she didn't stop. She and Sookie shared a knowing look but nothing more. The witch even smiled at me. I couldn't help but think that she placed some kind of spell on me with that smile. She has never smiled at me before. Why start now? I may respect what she has done for us but I am still no fan of the witch.

"Felipe, stand before us and speak your peace."

With flare and arrogance, Felipe took his place upon the stage. As he walked past Sookie and me, he looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. He looked as if he knew that he'd won this. He looked the same way Victor looked the night that they'd taken over Louisiana. Pretty soon, just like Victor, that snarky look would be justifiably gone and so would he.


	33. Chapter 33

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 33**

**Flashback: The Testimony of the King of Louisiana**

**Felipe's Testimony …most of this chapter will not be told in anyone's point of view. It's mostly narrative. I want to thank you all for reading and reviewing. You are wonderful. Your alerts and favorites are just wonderful.**

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><p>"For the last three hours, I've had to stand up here and listen to the lies that have been told to me and about me. I was never aware that the individuals that volunteered to stand with me were bearing false witness. It pains me that the witch has betrayed me in such a way. I can only guess that they have gotten to her as well. It was never my intentions to deceive any of you fine members that sit on the council before me. Please forgive the actions of those that stood with me. I know how it must look."<p>

He walked back and forth with his arms crossed behind his back. "I have never been so ashamed or appalled in all of my existence. But I want you to know that you can trust me. You will find that I am here to tell you everything that happened to cause poor Victor's demise. I am here to tell why he was put to final death; unfairly and without just cause. I will not mislead you in anyway. I'm here to tell the truth. First I would like to say that my integrity and honor have never been a factor. I have always done things that have been on the up and up."

Gerry watched the king as he feigned disappointment. He couldn't believe how Felipe was acting. His theatrics were too much …even for him. Doesn't he realize that he has been seen for the liar that he is? He was making a fool of himself and he was either too stupid or too arrogant to realize it. Gerry decided to help him out a bit.

"I recall the time in which you decided to takeover Louisiana and Arkansas; hostilely I might add. You killed many sheriffs and lieutenants without any concern. Tell me, did you plan this takeover while Sophie Ann was able to defend her territories or was it done while she was recuperating from the injuries that she sustained in the Rhodes explosion?"

Felipe was at a loss for words. He didn't expect the king to mention anything about the takeovers. They had nothing to do with the events that were before them. As Felipe pondered Gerry's question, Gerry continued speaking to the dishonorable king.

"Her legs had been blown off. Her most beloved and loyal child had been killed in the explosion. Her kingdom was rendered weak and her vampires were scattered throughout because of the hurricane. It baffles me that you speak of being honorable and having integrity yet you showed none in that circumstance. I couldn't help but sit here and contemplate your actions during the time of Sophie Ann's downfall. You speak of being an honorable vampire but that's not what I see standing before this illustrious council tonight. I see an opportunist."

Felipe looked at his fellow royal and was furious.

"I took steps that any vampire would have taken to take control of such vulnerable territories. I did nothing that you would not have done yourself. I did what I needed to do to get what I wanted. If I had not taken the steps that I had taken, some other vampire could have beaten me to it; including you."

Gerry was angered when Felipe said that. He was disgusted to be compared to a vampire such as Felipe de Castro. They are nothing alike. Felipe should be so lucky to be like him.

"Don't ever compare yourself to me. I claimed my territory when the former monarch was able to fight._ I_ became king by taking what _I_ wanted in a hand to hand battle. I've never been a coward. I wanted my enemy to be strong and to see what he was up against. Only cowards fight when their enemies are unable to. You, Felipe de Castro, are a coward. Don't stand before us and speak of the false integrity and honor that you claim to have; especially since you have said that you will do whatever is necessary to get what you want. I take that to mean that you will do anything to take the Viking's wife."

Felipe glared at Gerry but said nothing more. He regretted the comment from earlier when he'd threatened them with the final death so he thought it best to remain quiet. He didn't think of the circumstances behind but now he knows better. But Gerry was a force to be reckoned with. Everyone knows how strong and powerful Gerry is. He is one of the most feared vampires to exist. And his words spoke volumes.

The other council members agreed with Gerry. They all believed Felipe to be a coward and an opportunist. They believed that he was nothing more. Though he wanted to defend his name, deep down he knew that they were right, so he did what he needed to do. Felipe steered the conversation back to the issues at hand.

"How I obtained the territories of the finally dead Sophie Ann is not important. That is not why we're here. What needs to be discussed is Victor's fear of the Viking and Sookie. We need to discuss his untimely demise. When he came to me, he was terrified. Victor was always a very competent and dependable vampire. Contrary to what Russell has said. Victor would never have tried to overthrow me. He was very loyal. He was the one vampire that I'd always been able to depend on. He was the epitome of what a perfect regent should be."

To certain degree, Felipe thought to himself. Felipe turned his back to the council members and looked out at the vampires in attendance. He looked distraught as he told them his side of the story. He wanted his fellow vampires to see his passion and the pain that he felt for his fallen regent. He wanted them to know that Victor was very important to him but he was no more important than Northman.

"It hurts me that my subjects are going against me; especially other monarchs, my equals. But Northman knows that he only needed to come to me if he encountered any issues with Victor. Northman was …no scratch that … Northman _is_ the most valuable and prosperous of any vampire in my area. When he was under the rule of Sophie Ann, he and his human were a gift to her. She was always able to depend on him and his human wife. They traveled with her. They worked with her. And this was before the human and the vampire were married. All I've ever wanted from the Viking is his loyalty, his prosperity, and his respect. I wanted what he so willingly gave to Sophie Ann."

"Do you think you deserved that respect, his loyalty?" Cindra asked.

"I do. I am his king."

Many vampires were nodding as Felipe spoke. Felipe then stood in front of Eric and dramatically held his arms open wide.

"If you were having problems with Victor, why did you not come to me? Why did you not come to me when Victor built those businesses so close to yours? Why did you not come to me when he tried to kill your child and your human wife? Did you not realize how valuable you both are to me? I've always wanted to keep you and your human safe. I told you that she would have my protection and the protection of the vampires in my territories. Your protection has always been a priority of mine. You and your wife are my most prized assets. Don't you see that?"

Eric looked at Felipe and he had no emotion whatsoever on his face. He was biding his time. He knew what was in store for the king. Most in attendance knew; even Sookie. He turned to look at her and she was not happy with Felipe's theatrics. She had the looks of hate and disgust on her face. She always knew that he was a liar but she never knew to what degree until that very moment.

"And you, my dear telepath, why did you not tell me that Victor sent people to kill you and Pam? Don't you know how important you are to me?"

Unlike her husband, Sookie asked for permission to speak. It was granted. She stared at him for a moment as if she was concentrating on his face. After some time to think, she spoke.

"You confuse me with the double talk you're doing. You talk about knowing that I and Pam were almost killed but you never asked us about it. You never contacted us to see if we were safe. You never asked who it was that attacked us. What I don't get is how you found out about it. There were only four of us on the road that night and two of them are dead. We only told Eric what happened. He couldn't come to help us because his house was being watched. Neither of us told you or Victor what happened or when it happened. So how did you know?"

Felipe was speechless. Sookie stayed seated in her chair with her hands folded in her lap. She laughed and shook her head as she looked at Felipe.

"You knew because you were aware. You wanted Pam dead and you wanted me for yourself. The vampire guards that were outside Eric's home were supposed to kill him as soon as they had me. You were going to tell everyone that I came to you on my own. Isn't that right?"

He looked as if he couldn't believe she knew that. He never told another soul. The only other person that knew is dead. He hadn't a clue how she found out. "I would never …"

She cut him off and continued speaking. "You're playing coy very poorly, Felipe. And from what I've learned about the vampires that tried to kill us, they were two of your strongest. They were sent to be sure that Pam and I died. Well, Pam, I mean. They were sent to make sure that Pam was finally dead. They were supposed to take me. I don't know why I keep forgetting that part." Sookie chuckled as she shook her head.

He continued to wonder how she knew …how she found out. She looked at him through hooded eyes and laughed. She mumbled to herself as she closed her eyes. A low growl built in Pam's chest as she watched the king. Eric's eyes were blazing with anger and death. He figured that Victor was behind the entire scheme but he was never sure that Felipe had anything to do with it. He would have given anything to rip the king's heart from his chest. He wanted to see the un-dead life drain from the king's eyes. As Eric fantasized about killing him, Sookie continued to question the king.

"You know what else I don't understand? I don't understand why you never sent anyone to look for those vampires. I would think that they would be just as valuable as Pam or I was. Did you send anyone to look for them? You probably couldn't send anyone to look for them because you would then be found out. What were their names?"

She looked at Pam and asked if she remembered the finally dead vampire's names. Pam shook her head no but had a smirk on her face. She remembered. Doing as Felipe did earlier, Sookie scratched her head as if she was trying to remember the identity of the dead vampires. She snapped her fingers just as she 'remembered'.

"Ahhh; they were called Bruno and Corinna. We never heard that you missed them or searched for them so I always assumed that you sent them. I know that if they were a part of my retinue and they were all fired important, I'd look for them. Being the wonderful king that you are, it surprises me that you didn't."

The council members looked at Felipe waiting to see what response he had to her accusations. Just as they suspected, he said nothing. He did what he does best. Felipe ignored what she'd said. He stood over her. His cold dead eyes were colder and deader than before. He dropped to one knee in front of Sookie. He raised his hand to touch her face.

"Don't you dare touch me," Sookie growled.

He snatched his hand back. He was not used to be talked to like that; especially by a human. He didn't care what she offered his kingdom, she needed to show respect. He couldn't wait to make her his so that he could train her properly. He dropped fang on her. Sookie was not fazed in the least.

She smiled at him. "You don't scare me in the least. Yet and still, I don't understand your double talk. You have a very bad habit of speaking out of both sides of your mouth. I remember earlier when you said that Victor was very loyal to you. Did he obey all of the rules that you put in place for him? Everything that you told him to do, he did?"

"He did. He never disobeyed me."

Sookie smiled at him. "I think you're the one that's bearing false witness now."

Felipe bowed his head after she spoke. He has had more than enough of her disrespect. His thoughts were of training her and making her an obedient pet. Until that time came, he did what he needed to do. He shook his head as if he was still surprised at the way he was being treated by his telepath and his sheriff. He looked at the council members as he pointed at Sookie; expecting them to reprimand her for her disrespect of a vampire king. They did nothing.

"When I was attacked and tortured, Victor would not let Eric and Pam help me. They told him that you said that you gave me your protection. Victor pretended to be unaware. Do you know what he did to my husband? He chained him with silver. He confined Pam to a room with guards so that she could not help me. Only a few guards that were loyal to you, allowed her to call you to tell you what was going on. Only then did he let Eric go but before that, Victor tried to stop Bill from helping me but Bill did not take his call. If Pam had not made that call, she and Eric would never have been released. If not for Bill and my grandfather, I would have died at the hands of Neave and Lochlan. Eric and Clancy arrived just before the others came to end me. You knew what Victor had done. And you stand there and say that Victor was loyal and obedient?"

Again, she shook her head. "Why would he open businesses in your area and not tell you? I thought that a regent had to get permission from the king or queen to do that. He invited us to his bar. I have to tell you, the place was jumpin'. He had live bands and the dance floor was packed. There were so many vampires all over the place. They were having a good old time. They were feeding on humans and even kidnapped one of my family members. But that doesn't matter, does it? Victor was loyal. What amazes me is that you didn't know about the businesses. He was making a killing. I find it hard to believe that you weren't getting your fair share of the profits."

The council members were watching the back and forth between the telepath and the vampire king. They were more amused than anything. It tickled them to see the human make Felipe look like the liar that he is. He could not refute any of what she had said to him because he knew that she was speaking the truth. That's why he couldn't and wouldn't respond to any of her questions.

Felipe looked down at Sookie; fake sadness in his voice and eyes. "I understand your anger and frustration, child. But I did not know that you were under attack until the phone call. When I found out, I commanded Victor to release your husband and his child. As far as I know, that was the only time he was a disobedient underling. For that, he was punished. But your anger and hostility should not be directed at me but I do understand why it is. You and your husband were threatened. Your livelihood was being threatened. You and Eric couldn't possibly have lived off your salary as a ...what were you? Oh yes, a barmaid. Bill could no longer support you. You were no longer sleeping with him. At least I don't think you are."

Eric was about to attack the king but Sookie stopped him. He did not move from his seat but he did drop fang on the king and spoke for the first time since Felipe had taken the floor. He remained as cool and as level as always.

"You may be king but you will respect my wife."

"She won't be your wife for long. You will be punished for what you did to Victor. Pretty soon, your precious telepath will belong to me. You will belong to Oklahoma and you will never see her again."

Eric had a knowing look on his face as the king spoke. He remained quiet. He knew that Felipe would never have the pleasure of touching his wife. Once this travesty of a trial was over, Eric and Sookie would be going home.

"I meant you no harm, Sookie. I just assumed that because the bond was broken that you may have gone back to Compton. The bond is broken, isn't it?"

Sookie said nothing. She only smiled a demure smile as she looked at her husband. She mouthed the words 'I love you' and returned her gaze to Felipe.

"Poor child; I guess you realized that you were the only one that was in love. Once this is over, you will have to worry no more. I will always be there for you. I should have been there for you when you needed me. I should have made it easier for you to come to me. If you have any problems, I want you to know that you can always come to me. I want you to be able to lean on me. I want to take care of you. I want to make sure that you're always safe. As king, I can do that for you."

She only stared. He returned to his original position; standing before the council members.

"I swear to you on my blood that I would have helped them with their Victor problems if they had only told me. I wish that they had trusted me. I will admit that Northman called me to discuss the contract of marriage to Oklahoma. I didn't get to respond as I wanted to because I was out of town on business. There was so much that I had to attend to at that time. I did not have time for the marriage contract. I told him that if he could wait until I returned, we would handle it then and if not, he needed to talk to Victor. I told him that if the regent saw fit to break the contract that would have been fine with me. Because Victor oversaw the vampires in Louisiana, he would know what would be best for the kingdom. If being married to the telepath made him happy then I wanted to keep him happy."

Sookie decided to question him once again but this time she was not the cool woman she normally is.

"That doesn't make sense. Why would he go through the regent when Eric had direct contact with you? Not five minutes ago, you said that you would have done anything to help us. Do you remember any of what you said? You wanted to help him? You wanted him to be able to trust you? Yet you stand up here and unload all this crap about what you had time for and what you didn't have time for."

She began to walk in the direction of the king. She continued to talk when she reached him.

"You knew that Victor built those businesses in the Area Five. You allowed it. You wanted it. You wanted Eric to be seen as useless and not beneficial to your kingdom. My husband would not be making money for you and that would be the reason you would let the contract stand. Your plan was foiled when we killed Victor. We didn't want to kill him. That was never our intention. But we had no choice because we had no one to turn to. It was either him or us. We did what we had to do because you never came forward. It has always been your full intention to give Eric to Oklahoma no matter what he did. He's a threat to you. He's stronger than you. _He's_ honorable and _he_ has integrity. He's everything that you'll never be."

Sookie's emotions were getting the best of her. Tears for her vampire began to fall from her eyes.

"He called you night after night to no avail. You were always busy or you'd call him back later. You would see him when you had time. You never had time because you never made time! Do you know how many times he called you? My husband is a very proud vampire and he_ begged_ you to help him and now you stand here and pretend to be this great king that is willing to help those in his retinue? Where were you when _we_ needed you? Where were you when Victor tried to kill your valuable sheriff and his lieutenant? Where were you when he tried to kill your telepath? I'm not gonna lose Eric because of your lies! I am his and he is mine."

Felipe only looked at her. She stood before the council and begged for the vampire, the man that she loves. She looked up at those that held their fate in their hands and pleaded their case to them.

With her head held high, she spoke to them from her heart. "I don't want to lose him. I can't lose him. I will not lose him to a pack of lies. Eric has fought long and hard and doesn't deserve what is happening to him. I will not allow it to happen. He is mine." She turned to face him. "I love him," she whispered.

She stopped speaking and not because she wanted. She had to. The words would not leave her mouth. She turned back to the council members and stared at them. She begged them with her eyes but their faces were blank. Silent tears streaked her face.

Finally able to find her voice, she spoke. "You have to believe us. You have to. I love him." She finally broke and sobbed.

Eric stood from his seat and looked at the council members when he reached his wife. He didn't care about the consequences. She was all that mattered; his lover, his life. He lifted her into his arms. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and cried. No one spoke. There was no movement. He held her as she cried for the love that she never wanted to lose.

For just a moment a look of shame ran across the king's face. He looked into the sad eyes of the human and could see her pain. He remembered the first time that he met her. He remembered how she risked her life to save her Viking. He knew then that she loved him. She would do anything for him. He could see it in her eyes. He then remembered how she saved his life. He remembered how he wanted her for himself. He thought of the power that he would have if he had woman like that at his side. He was sorry to have hurt her but he was the one that mattered. After all, he is the king ...and he is an opportunist.

When he looked at the council members and saw how they were watching the vampire and the human, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle. He had but one thing that he could use to his advantage. He had to play his trump card.

"She is distraught. She is grasping at straws. The human is desperate. Can't you see it? The desperation that she displays here caused me to believe Victor. He knew that there was something different about her that disturbed him. He told me that on the night of the takeover, she threatened to make a call to her kin. Northman threw her phone against the wall before she could complete it. He told her that she would start a war that would end them all; everyone that is but her."

Gerry was the first one to speak up. He knew where this was going. He was going to teach this vampire about fighting fair if it's the last thing Felipe was ever going to learn.

"Her heritage has nothing to do with this trial. It will not be of discussion. You were told this when you approached us weeks ago. If there is no proof that the threat is valid, there is no need to mention her kin. He was never called therefore he never showed up. There was no war. There was no threat of a war. You were warned that it was and is not valid. There is no reason to mention his name."

Felipe's fangs descended in anger. "Are you saying that the danger of her gran …?"

Gerry stood. This time, his fangs had descended. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Felipe could not believe what he was hearing. "Has she taken you all under her spell? Have you not noticed how everyone is drawn to her? Look at her! She's like no other human any of us have ever met. Look at her eyes; mesmerizing, enchanting. Look at how he is with her. He has been warned that he will be punished for handling her until the ruling has been made but look at him. He doesn't even care. She doesn't care. They are not afraid of what will happen to them! They are all that matters. The Viking is over a thousand years old and she owns him. She rules him. Don't you see it? Imagine what she could do to the rest of us."

The members of the council looked at Sookie and Eric. They could not see what Felipe claimed to see. They all shook their heads no. They believed her. They watched how the vampire and the human were with each other. Eric was not ashamed of his love for her. She was not ashamed of her love for him. She rested her hand on his face as they looked into each other's eyes. He used his thumb to wipe her tears away. She told him that she loves him. He kissed the tip of her nose before sitting her delicately back onto her chair. They never let go of each other's hand. They didn't care about the punishment. They would face it together. It was time for Felipe's deception to come to an end. The Pythoness decided to speak.

"You say such derogatory things about her being manipulative and dangerous, yet you beg to have her. The telepath is right, de Castro. You do speak out of both sides of your mouth. I don't find her or the Viking to be a threat to our kind. Her kin has made no attempt to contact any of us. One would think that the rumors of her being auctioned off would be more than sufficient enough reason for him to fight for her well being. But alas; no one has appeared. I find it hard to believe that she has threatened you or anyone else with her kin. Wouldn't it have made sense for her have her kin stop this council meeting and find a way to break the contract for her vampire? There is much that could have been done to save her. Yet and still, we see nothing. This council meeting would be uncalled for. All of this would be moot. Don't you all agree?"

The Pythoness' blind eyes were trained on Felipe. Winona seconded the high priestess's observations and spoke about them.

"I doubt that her kin would allow her to go through this trial if she desperately needed his help. Those of us that are aware of who she is knows that he is very protective of her. He has killed his own kind to save her. Why not save her now? The high priestess has done everything in her power to see if he would come forth and save her. We have spread false rumors and nothing. She was to be imprisoned; auctioned off, sold to the highest bidder, and still, we see nothing. Her kin has not come forward."

Sookie and Eric looked at each other. They looked in the direction of Pam and Bill. They all had matching expressions; surprise, elation, amazement. Amelia was smiling broadly as she clapped her hands in front of her mouth. Felipe was losing his cool and this trial. His anger was getting the best of him. He began to rant and rave about Sookie.

"I can't believe this! Has she gotten to you too? Has her grandfather bribed you all? Has Brig …?"

The Pythoness stood with the assistance of Gerry and Winona. With her decrepit finger, she pointed a warning in Felipe's direction.

"If you speak his name, I will order the final death right now. For accusing us of taking a bribe, you will be severely punished. For the duration of this council meeting, you will be chained with silver to the silver wall."

She snapped her old fingers and vampires came forth wearing gloves and pulling a large silver wall onto the stage. There were silver cuffs where the wrists and ankles would be held. A silver clasp was in the center of the wall which was for his neck. The wall was positioned to face the vampires in attendance. Felipe looked from the wall to the council members. This had been planned all along. They were waiting on hand to punish Felipe. He yelled at the top of his lungs about the injustice that was being perpetrated.

"You are taking the word of a human… a fucking human? I am a king! You are in my territory! You cannot do this to me!"

The Pythoness smiled that creepy smile at him.

"Now."

Felipe tried to run but the guards were much faster. They grabbed him and began to strip Felipe of his clothes. Once he was unclothed, they began strapping him to the wall. Felipe screamed as his back was pressed against the crisscross backing of the wall. The sound and the smell of his burning flesh filled the room. His screams became louder when his wrists and ankles were cuffed. When the brace was wrapped around his neck, it began to become embedded into his skin. Thin silver strands were placed randomly over his body. His screams brought smiles to the faces of Pam, Bill, Eric, and Sookie. Bloody tears ran down the face of the shamed king. After about fifteen minutes, his screams lessened but the pain did not. It was time for the Pythoness to take over the meeting.

"The human is right, Felipe. You are a liar. When you first approached us, you were warned that if you were found to be untruthful that you would be stripped of your title and your territories. You were told that you would be made to meet the final death. Do you remember being told of these warnings?"

The tortured king barely nodded his head. The Pythoness spoke.

"We have proof."


	34. Chapter 34

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: Death, Disgrace, and Dishonor**

**Chapter 34**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You guys are the best! You keep me and you keep me on my toes. I also have to say that I have read and reread my other story and I'm going to have to take it down. I have totally screwed up the timeline. I think my thinking was faster than my writing and my typing. I'm going to save it and when I have more time to devote to it and fix the holes, I will repost. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed that story so far. I plan on removing the story this weekend. Again, thanks so much for your time. The fact that you give it to me and this story is wonderful.**

**There is one section of the chapter that Felipe was not a party to. I added that to let you know how things began to go downhill for de Castro. Once you read it, you will know which part I'm referring to.**

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><p>The council members stood before Felipe; each of them facing him with their arms behind their backs; their stances at least five inches in width. Felipe looked at them all with contempt in his eyes. They watched him with amusement and triumph in theirs. Felipe could see that they felt nothing for him. They were happy to see him fall. They were happy to see one of their own fall at the feet of a sheriff and his pet. He mistakenly believed that they would have stood with him since he is a king but he can see clearly for the first time that they are against him. He figured that they would understand why he's done what he's done.<p>

They should understand the value of the telepath. They should be with him. They looked as if they did not understand why he'd taken such measures. A king that rules with a telepath at his side could be the greatest ruler of all time. His territories would be the strongest, the most powerful. Couldn't they see the power that he would wield? He knew the answer to his own question before he asked it. He knew what they saw when they looked at him. They saw a disgrace, a plague on their kind ...a failed and opportunistic vampire. Even the high priestess had the gall to look down at him and that old bitch is blind.

The Pythoness was on the arms of her bodyguards when she'd finally decided to speak to the shamed king. She pointed her bony finger at him as she spoke. "You have lied to us time and time again. You were given multiple chances to speak the truth but you failed to do so. You were determined to deceive us. You were determined to take what you wanted without any concern to others. You didn't care what you had to do to get what you wanted. As Gerry earlier said, you are an opportunist. You are a failure as a king and as a vampire. You saw your chance and you tried to take it. We understand the value of the sheriff's human." The Pythoness looked in Sookie's direction as she spoke. "A telepath would have been a great addition to your kingdom. If you had been truthful, things may have gone your way. Your lies have been your undoing, Felipe."

"They killed my regent. He assisted a fucking human in killing one of …" Felipe started.

In an instant, the so-called feeble vampire had blurred her way to stand before the king; no longer needing the bodyguards to assist her in walking. With her fangs drawn and with the use of her long sharp nail, she dragged the nail deeply inside one of the open wounds made by one of the silver chains.

As if she could see it, she watched with amusement as agony played along Felipe's face. The more agonizing he looked, the deeper she forced her finger into the wound. She could feel his body flinching with each drag of her finger. The more he flinched, the deeper her finger would go. When her finger was buried into his flesh as deep as the first knuckle, she stopped and twisted it. He did his best to stay strong but it didn't last long. He screamed out in pain. When she'd heard him cry out, a look of satisfaction appeared on her face. She then removed her finger and addressed her unwilling victim.

"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. There is nothing that you can say that will make us believe anything that comes from your foul mouth."

After she'd spoken, she returned her attentions to her bloody finger. As not to waste the blood, the Pythoness placed the bloody finger between her withered and waiting lips. She moaned as she nursed the blood from her finger. Her actions gave cause for the others in attendance to growl in response. The need for blood was once again in the air.

Once her fangs had retracted and the blood lust had subsided for the moment, she addressed de Castro. "You did an embarrassing job of covering your tracks, Felipe. Everything traces back to you. As I stated earlier, we have the proof that we need to end your lies." The guard to her right handed her a folder. "Do you know what this is?"

When Felipe saw the folder, he closed his eyes in defeat. There was nothing left for him to say. There was nothing left for him to do. He'd lost. He's lost his kingdoms, his telepath, and his life. Felipe had been defeated.

"I will take that as a yes." She shook her head and said, "I must say, you are of very little character."

He heard nothing else she said. He could only wonder. He wondered how they got the folder. He wondered if they'd sent someone to the royal palace. He wondered how they would have known what to look for and where to look. He knew, with a heavy heart, that it was over. He knew that the Viking had won. He looked over at Eric and conceded to defeat. He gave his opponent a slight nod to acknowledge that he knew where he stood. Eric returned the nod to the king as he held onto his wife's hand. As the Pythoness read the contents of the folder aloud, Felipe closed his eyes as he remembered that first night. He remembered the night his existence had changed …and for the better or so he'd thought.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>The heels of their shoes were silent as they walked along the hallway that was lined with plush sand colored carpet. The palace had a warm feeling to it even though it was the home of a vampire. It smelled of the beaches of Pompeii. The room had the feel of a slight breeze kissing your face. If you close your eyes you could almost feel the sun shining upon you. The colors that decorated the hallway were warm yellows and cool oranges. There were shades of brown that peeked from behind the horizon. The ocean, formerly the windows and the opposite wall, were the focal parts of the scenery. They were made to look like evening sunsets. Palm trees decorated the horizon as the ocean's waves danced for its visitors. Soothing sounds of the beach could be heard as visitors walked the beautiful stretch of plush sand as the wind kissed their ancient faces. The sounds that filled the air played almost like a forgotten lullaby to the ancient vampires. As expected, the scenery played with the visiting vampire's memories.<p>

He remembered the morning sunrises even though he hadn't seen one in many, many centuries. The sounds of the wind and the birds made him remember the days of basking in the sun as he worked the fields as a young boy. He remembered how the sun used to beat down on his already burned skin when he was in battle. He looked at his now pale, cool hands as he remembered the days of when they were tanned and warm to the touch. He remembered the waves as they break in the cooling ocean. He recalled the evening sunsets that were pleasing to the eye. The coolness of the evening winds would wash away the harsh and humid days. Whatever memories the owner of this home wanted to invoke were ever present as he walked slowly to his destination. He never expected the slight feel of elation that filled him for just a moment.

Just as his memories were coming to the forefront, he was where he needed to be. The large doors that were before him, led him to the vampire that he was there to see. They were made of the thickest and most expensive wood imaginable. He would expect nothing less than the best from a royal. The vampires that were standing guard had to knock a little louder than a vampire should have to. They then opened the door for the head guard that was leading the way. When they entered the office, what was presented before him was just as impressive.

The desk was made from the same wood as the double doors that they'd just walked through. There were two very large cream colored leather chairs positioned in front of the desk with a table nestled between them. Two glasses were sitting on the table with two unopened warm bottle of bloods waiting to be served. There were three large sofas that were placed strategically about the large room. And the view …the view was just as impressive as the beaches of Pompeii from the hallway.

The window that covered the wall behind the desk was a sunrise over a desert; absolutely exquisite. The room was bright blue and sparkling beige; the sounds that echoed in this room were the sounds of wind. There were cactus plants by the window. As a matter of fact, they, too, were scattered throughout the room. They sat beautifully on the edge of her desk, in the corners, and by the door. The room was full of life and it was beautiful. It was almost as beautiful as the woman sitting behind the desk.

She looked young. She wasn't an old vampire. She was quite young and he could see that she missed the days of summer sun. She looked as if she missed the days of the sun and sand. And from the looks of it, she wasn't ready to let them go just yet. She wasn't pale as you would expect a vampire's skin to be. Her skin was beautifully tanned; sprayed on. Her beautiful green eyes were even more beautiful with her flaming red hair complimenting them. Her hair was curled to perfection; not a strand out of place. Her makeup was understated and it made her even more enchanting. Her stylish and well fitted gold sequined dress would never have looked as beautiful on another body; human or vampire. Oh and her smile ...her smile made her even more beautiful than before.

In a loud and booming voice, the guard announced the arrival of the queen's guests. Once the guests made their way to their seats, he closed the doors behind him and returned to his former position.

As Appius Livius Ocella and Alexei Romanov walked to their seats, Felipe de Castro stood from his seat to welcome the visitors. He was all smiles but the smile soon faded. Ocella looked at de Castro for less than a second. He didn't know the vampire but knew instantly that he didn't like him.

Without giving the king a second thought, Ocella returned his gaze to the queen. She stood and bowed to him. She pointed in the direction of the blood but he raised his hand and shook his head no. He returned her greeting and then spoke to the boy in Russian. Ocella took the last vacant seat as the boy sat on the floor by his feet. The rested his head against his maker's leg and remained silent. Ocella gently caressed the boy's head. The boy looked at the vampires with still vacant eyes but said nothing.

Freyda and Felipe looked at the boy as he rested his head against his maker's shin. His eyes spoke volumes. The boy was mad. And from the looks of it, he hasn't been sane in quite some time. There had been talks of him being of unsound mind and it was more than obvious. Anyone could see that the boy wasn't quite right.

Freyda and Felipe were concerned about the boy being in their territories. They have seen what happens when a vampire goes mad. They will kill without provocation. They are the most dangerous of their kind. Freyda decided that one night with the unstable boy couldn't do much damage. She would just have to make sure that they did not leave the palace grounds. She didn't need any of her humans being harmed when things weren't going well in the supernatural community as is. The government officials would have a field day and it would give them good cause to pass their pending bill. She wouldn't have long to worry. By first dark tomorrow night, they would be gone and they would be Felipe's problem.

As she continued to stare at the boy, he looked at her. She saw more than madness behind his eyes. She saw loneliness and longing. He longed for death. He was waiting for it. She quickly averted her eyes to the boy's maker. She could bear to look at him no longer.

As Appius looked at Freyda, ignoring de Castro completely, he said, "You requested my company this evening. Tell me why I'm here."

Freyda gave him one of her fakest smiles. "I want to thank you for coming. I requested your company weeks ago and I must say, I didn't think that you would be here. I needed to see you because you can help me get what I want and what I want is your child, Eric Northman. In my quest to make him mine, I've run into a small problem. He's bound to another and from what I gather from his king here," she said as she pointed at de Castro, "is that he's in love with her. And he's never going to let her go. They are _desperately_ in love with each other. He seems to want her …need her. But that doesn't matter to me. I want him."

Ocella looked thoughtfully at the vampire queen. She was beautiful enough. Eric would get much use from her. She's a queen. She's rich. He prefers blonds but she would do. She is an extraordinarily beautiful woman. His son could do worse. He began to stroke the boy's head again as he thought of what Freyda wanted. It may not be an easy task. He hadn't seen Eric in many centuries. He had no cause to. They had no use for each other. He released him long, long ago. Appius then looked at Freyda and thought that there was no reason why he should help her. She's nothing to him. In response to Freyda's comment, Ocella said nothing.

Freyda walked to the other side of her desk and leaned against it as she continued to make her plea. "Eric and I could be so powerful together. He should be more than a sheriff in some po dunk town. He should be my king …in time. He is wasting away serving as a fucking sheriff. His skills need to be put to better use than babysitting a group of vampires that have nothing to offer our kind." She looked at Felipe and said, "My future husband is not babysitter material. He is the best thing in Louisiana and I want him."

Felipe eyed Freyda with fury when she insulted his area ...and his sheriff. Northman is much more than that. But he knew that he could never let Eric be anymore than a sheriff. He is a force to be reckoned with. If Eric ever became king, he would be unstoppable. Eric was the reason Felipe's Area Five was prosperous. Freyda had no idea what she was speaking on …Eric and his vampires. Felipe's vampires were the best of the best; for the most part. He could have beaten the shit out of her for degrading his sheriff and his area. If they were not planning this together, he would take claim to her area and turn _it_ into a po dunk town. But he remained quiet and listened to her pitch her plea to her future husband's maker.

"If he was to become my king, he would be entitled to everything that is mine and so much more." She leaned forward and placed her hand on Ocella's knee. "As his maker, you will be granted anything in my kingdom as well. You would be …kin. Anything that Eric and I stake claim to, you would share in on it. You would have everything that you've ever wanted at your feet."

Ocella looked at the hand that was resting on his knee. He didn't like being touched and he didn't care if the touch was that of a queen. She should know her place.

Freyda apologized for overstepping her boundaries. "Forgive me," she said.

"I might."

Ocella relished in the idea of being a member of a royal family. He could try to get Alexei the help that he needed instead of sending him to his final death as he'd planned. The boy began to shift from side to side and a frown furrowed his brow. He spoke to the boy again in Russian and he went still. Alexei continued to rest his head against his maker's leg.

"Eric; he's worth that much to you?" Ocella finally asked.

"More," she said.

"If he's in love with this woman, this vampire and they are bound to one another; my son will not willingly let her go. He has never been fickle. What makes you think that I could or would make him release her? If he loves her, he will fight for her. My child is strong and will hold onto what he claims as his own. He will fight for what he wants. I taught him to fight for what he wants and to never let it go." Ocella smiled. "I see that I've taught him well. I can only imagine that his lover is just as strong as he is." The maker was proud of his child.

Freyda and de Castro looked at each other before either of them said anything. How could he not know that Eric's lover is human? The rumors must be true. They'd heard of Ocella's sadistic and unfathomable ways but they believed that they were myth. They'd heard of the cruel vampires of old but none as cruel as Ocella. They say that the older vampires are always the most sadistic. The older vampires believe in the old ways.

Freyda looked deeper into the vampire's eyes and she could see it. She could see what repulsed Eric; pure evil. She could see what Eric had to endure under the rule of his maker. A cool shiver ran down her spine. She could see the depth of his cruelty in his eyes. She could imagine the horrifying treatment Eric must have received at the hands of his maker. She could see it when she looked at the boy; the sad little boy. She could see why the boy yearned for death. Even as a vampire, she couldn't imagine doing what he had to be doing to that child. Though she tried to hide it, the sadness that she felt for him could not be hidden.

De Castro's voice broke into her train of thought. He was tired of being ignored. In his smarmy, irritating voice, he said, "You have no idea, do you? She's not a vampire. He has bonded himself to a _human_; his pet. Her name is Sookie Stackhouse. She lives in his area. They are the talk of the supe world. I can't believe you haven't heard." De Castro crossed his legs as he turned to fully face Ocella. With has back and elbow resting against the arm of the chair, he said, "She is his wife. They were married with the ceremonial knife. Your child has taken a human wife."

Ocella's face was leveled and cold. His dark brown eyes were filled with frenzy. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't release Eric so that he could bond himself to a human. She had to have been extraordinary. A human! Jealousy roared through him. That's where his happiness was coming from …a fucking human. Alexei felt Ocella's jealousy and looked forlorn and fearful. He reassured the boy with his touch and his voice.

"It's alright, my child. Everything is alright."

The boy's face was once again a blank canvas. His eyes weren't.

"He loves this human?" Ocella asked.

Felipe answered him. "Yes, he does. He has done things for her that a vampire would never do for a human if he did not love her. Before they were one, he always made himself readily available to her …and her for him. He has killed his kind for her. For example, she was attacked by his bartender. From what is rumored, he viciously bit into her. Eric staked him in order to save her life and she was not his. She belonged to _another_ vampire. He's always wanted her."

After he'd spoken, Felipe looked at Freyda when he said that. Her face was empty with emotion but her eyes showed something different. She was livid. The king of Po Dunk was enjoying her anger. He was letting her know that the sheriff would never want her as he wants Sookie. She chased after him at Rhodes but he would never leave her side She watched him as he danced with her; as he held her. He was definitely taken with her and he didn't try to hide it. Freyda approached Sophie Ann. She begged for the chance to meet with the Viking. She offered Sophie Ann more than she could ever want; she failed yet again. Felipe's underhanded remarks were letting her know that she may get him but he will never feel for her what he feels for his human.

With blank eyes, Ocella looked a Felipe and asked, "Who are you?"

His joy for Freyda's discomfort was soon gone. How could Ocella not know him? He's a king for Pete's sake. He'd taken territories by force. There is absolutely no reason why Felipe shouldn't be well known. He should be well known and feared. Felipe decided that it was time to educate the reclusive maker. "I am his king. I'm the king of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nevada." He plastered a fake smile on his face; trying his hardest not to be offended.

"Why are you here?" Ocella asked with a look of indifference on his face. Turning his nose up at the king, he said, "I can tell that _you_ want something from me."

Still clinging onto the fake smile, he said, "I want the human."

"Why?"

Freyda answered before Felipe had the chance to. "Because she has a gift. Any kingdom that owns her will be the most powerful. She has the gift to read minds. She can read all humans. She can read Weres and shifters but not vampires." Freyda looked at Ocella before she returned to her seat. "She can't read our kind."

"Why should I help you get the human?"

"You will be allowed in certain territories. You will have access to any finances that I have available to you whenever you need. By giving me what I want, I will give you what you want."

Ocella turned to Freyda with a devious smile on his face. "If the telepath is so valuable, why don't you want her? Even if the human is the love of Eric's undead life, why would you pass up such an opportunity? He could rule with you and keep his human with him. He could still be allowed to love his human. He couldn't possibly be against sharing. He could fuck you both." Suddenly a flicker came into the vampire's eyes when he saw Freyda's hand twitch at the suggestion. "Could it be that his human is not into sharing her vampire and he is willing to comply with her wishes? Is that it? A vampire is in a monogamous relationship with a human. She's more than food and sex. He actually loves her." Ocella hadn't had this much fun in quite some time.

Freyda was not happy with the way she was being taunted and ridiculed. Ocella was enjoying himself. Her look of discomfort made him continue. Leaning forward in his seat, he said, "You could have it all; Eric and the telepath. Your kingdom would be the most profitable, the most prosperous. You and Eric could do so much together."

Freyda said nothing.

He then shook his head. "But it's not going to happen. Everything I've spoke is possible but it will never happen. Let me tell you why. You're insecure and unsure of yourself next to this human. You're jealous of her."

Freyda flinched once again.

As if he'd just solved the world's most difficult problem, he snapped his fingers and cried eureka. "I think I've struck gold. Is that it? Are you worried that you will be forgotten? Are you worried that you could never take the place of his human lover? Could it be that you are jealous?"

Her face was no longer emotionless. She was seething with anger.

He continued. "According to vampire law, he would only be obligated to fuck you once a year and that's all he would give you because his wouldn't allow any more than that. He loves her and you know that he'll never love you. Just admit it to me and I might consider your proposal. Tell me that you're jealous of her." Ocella gave the queen a slick and cunning smile; anticipating her response.

Freyda stood quickly and was bent closely to the ancient vampire's face. She was not going to let anyone disrespect her while in her kingdom. She didn't care how old the vampire was. With her fangs drawn, she said, "I have no cause to be jealous of a human! She is not and has never been a threat to me. But I will say this, vampire. You will respect me. I don't care what favor I ask of you, you will not ridicule me. You will not make a fool of me. Your age matters not. My status should matter to you. Know your place, underling."

Ocella had an amused look on his face. He never moved from his seat. He could have killed her and she never would have even known that she was dead. It amazed him that the younger vampires didn't seem to have any respect for their elders. It had been ages since he'd had to make an example of an insolent vampire. He was anxious to see if he could still kill without getting a drop of blood on his person but not with her. She was different. He liked her. He liked her moxie. She was amusing to him. He respected her. She was not fearful and though she wouldn't admit it, she is jealous of this Sookie Stackhouse.

He looked smugly at Freyda and said, "I think it's best if you return to your seat. Only one of us would come out of a battle alive and my dear and I fear that it would not be you." Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Then you would have no use for my child, now would you?" He showed her his fangs and they were three times the size of the Pythoness'.

Freyda wasn't the least bit afraid. She slowly stood up right; never taking her eyes from Ocella's. He never shifted his gaze from hers. She walked to the seat behind her desk and looked at the vampire. She would meet the final death before she would apologize to him. The words never left her lips. Her only thoughts were that she always has a plan.

Finally Ocella said to Felipe, "You can have her. The human girl; you can have her."

Felipe was grateful. Felipe produced a briefcase from the opposite side of his chair. He withdrew a contract and it was one that would guarantee Ocella all that he was offered him if he made a way for Felipe to take Sookie as his own. The contract stipulates that he would not contest the contract of marriage between Freyda and the Viking if granted. If the marriage doesn't happen, the contract between Felipe and Ocella would be null and void.

"All you have to do is sign on the dotted line."

Taking a pen from his briefcase, he handed it to Ocella. Ocella signed without reading it.

As Freyda watched the vampires sign the contract, she asked, "Did you include the clause for Victor's businesses? It has to be included before I draw up the contract of marriage. Eric has to have no choice but to come to me. You have to destroy all that he has worked for."

Felipe showed her the clause that she had been insistent on. Once the contract was signed, Felipe stood and bowed to the queen and to his sheriff's maker. "You will meet me in my kingdom tomorrow night at first dark. We will complete our negotiations then," he said to Freyda. With that said, Felipe was gone.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>When Felipe was gone, Ocella looked at the queen and said, "You are a very smart and vindictive vampire from what I've heard about you. You want my child so that he can help you keep your status as queen. I didn't expect you to be the type to roll over and play dead for anyone. From speaking to you tonight, I can see that you are hungry for power and control. Before I make my decision to agree to help in your pursuit of my child, I have but one question to ask."<p>

She smiled at him and said, "What is your question?"

"Do you want the telepath?" For the first time since he'd been in her presence, he showed interest in something other than the stroking the boy's head.

With her fangs drawn, she said, "I am no fool. She is a much more than you will ever realize. I don't know exactly what she is but she will bring more to my kingdom than just her mind reading skills."

Freyda knew exactly what the pet was and who she was. She knew that if she told someone as old and as ruthless as Ocella, he would do what he needed to do to make sure that the human remained with his son. He would take Sookie as his own. Freyda also knew that Ocella could kill her without batting an eye once she and Eric were married. He'd want control of the territories and the telepath. She had one advantage over Ocella. He didn't know her. She always had a plan. The maker and the boy wouldn't be around much longer. She couldn't have that boy or his maker living in her area not knowing what to expect of them. After the wedding, she'd already hired someone to take care of them. The mad boy and his even madder maker would soon be no more.

Ocella's liquid brown eyes were showing signs of being impressed with the queen. Maybe she would be a great addition to the family. They could rule with an iron fist. They would be the most feared vampires to ever exist. They could go back to the days of old.

"It doesn't matter if I want her or not. What does matter is that you stand by your word. You've signed a contract with Felipe." Resting on her elbows, she said, "If you betray him, I can only imagine what you would do to me."

He laughed her comment. "Not at all," he said. "I intend to do as I've promised. My word is my honor. I also plan on doing what's best for my child. And from what I can see, you are what's best for my child. Only you can give him what he needs to cement his standing in the vampire world. And, we can be together again."

If he believed that he was going to get his hands on Eric, Ocella had another thing coming. Eric was going to belong to her and she wasn't going to share him; not with his maker or with the human. But right now, none of that mattered. She needed to get the second part of her plan into motion.

"Someone else wants to put their own plan in motion with me. He's aware that I want the Viking. He thinks that betraying his king will put him in my good graces. He doesn't seem to realize that because I don't trust him, I'm going to let him hang himself. One reason I want him to fail is because he wants to kill Eric and that I will not allow."

Ocella hissed from anger. That is something that he would never allow. He may have released him but Eric still belonged to him. "He needn't worry about you, dear girl. If anyone tries to hurt Eric, they will face my wrath." Visions of the treacherous vampire suffering danced in his head.

She leaned forward as she pressed the intercom button to her phone. "Send him in." When she'd made her command she looked at Ocella and said, "I always have a plan."

"I must say that my son could do no better than to have you as his queen."

She nodded regally at her soon to be father-in-law.

A few minutes later, the guards opened the doors to the office and in strode the vampire. He looked at Ocella and the boy that was sitting on the floor and gave them a slight nod as he walked to the now vacant seat. He didn't have time for pleasantries. He had work that he needed to do. He looked at Freyda and asked, "Have you decided on whether or not you're going to help me?"

Freyda stood and introduced the two vampires. "Ocella this is the vampire Victor Madden. He is going to help us _all_ get what we want."

Victor sat in the chair with the fangy grin on his face. "Is everyone on board?" he asked.

Freyda and Ocella eyed each other as they nodded. The boy whimpered once again.

"Well, since we've gotten that straight, when do we kill the king?"

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>Felipe was pacing back and forth in his office waiting for Freyda to make her grand entrance. It was already an hour after first dark. She was supposed to be here at first dark. He was not thrilled with being made to wait but there was nothing that he could do. He understood how female vampires are. They are no different than human women. When she finally arrived, she entered in her same over exaggerated way. When he saw her, he'd forgotten about her tardiness.<p>

Gorgeous.

She sauntered in wearing skin tight jeans with an elegant blue silk blouse. Her bag was thrown carelessly over her shoulder. Her stilettos were as high as they could possibly be. He normally didn't fancy vampires, but he would make an exception with her. Everything about her was inviting and tempting. Her long red hair looked amazing as it fell beautifully around her face. When she entered his office, without knocking nonetheless, she laid back on his couch with her arms thrown theatrically over the arm and back of it; her shirt riding up just a little and showing a flash of her flat stomach. She crossed her denim clad legs as she looked at Felipe.

He looked at her as if he'd never seen her before. He dropped fang when he imagined all that he could and would do to her. "You look absolutely divine. I would love to …have you."

She smiled seductively at him. "Felipe, my darling, you wouldn't survive," she said. "Do you have what I've come for?"

He had to shake himself back to the here and now in order to come to his senses. "I have it," he finally said; his fangs slowly snicking away. He walked to the safe and retrieved what she'd come after.

At vampire speed, she was standing in front of him with her beautifully tanned hand extended. In it, he placed a yellow folder. From her bag, she gave him a copy of the contract of marriage that she and Ocella had signed. She smiled a sinister smile. "Thank you, Felipe." She sat on the edge of his desk and said, "Now, I have something for you." She tapped the tip of his nose with her finger as she handed him some papers. She waited for the expression on his face to change.

Bingo!

Freyda was beyond thrilled. He was furious. His lips were pulled back in a growl. Her plan was now in full force. She was going to get exactly what she wanted. Everything was falling beautifully into place.

"Is this true?" he asked her. "You aren't trying to make a fool of me in order to get what you want? You are a vampire and as we both know, vampires can't be trusted."

"You see it in black and white, do you not?" She shook and shimmied her way back to the sofa and crossed her long, shapely legs. "He approached me a few weeks ago."

He opened his mouth to say something but a simple smile stopped him.

"Don't get your panties all in a bunch. I wasn't being sneaky. I didn't say anything because I wanted to see how far he would take it. You need to know that he has gathered his forces and they plan on overthrowing you. They want to kill you."

"What?"

Freyda nodded. "Yes. Your regent is ruthless and devious. They want what you have. He and Sandy Sechrest are working together to claim your territories. Many of your _loyal_ vampires have decided to join their little …faction." She looked at the king and shook her head. "You can't trust anyone these days, can you?"

"Obviously not," he said.

"Anyway, he came to me because he knows that I want the Viking. He wants to own your kingdoms and the telepath. He said that if I worked with him, he would see that I got what I wanted. He has no idea that I've already sided with you. If he'll betray you, can you imagine what he'll do to me? You're his king and he's stabbing you in the back …no pun intended; though he plans to but don't worry, Felipe. You and I have formed an alliance. I will stand by that allegiance as long as you stand by yours."

He was surprised. He figured that she would have taken the chance to side with Victor. She could take claim to his properties, the telepath, and the Viking. She could kill Victor once he takes the throne and she would become one of the most powerful vampire's in existence. Because of this form of loyalty, he knew that she would not betray him. She could be trusted.

"Thank you for telling me." He placed the papers in his desk drawer and said to her, "I am in your debt."

"Yes, you are."

Felipe then realized something. "That's why you had me include Victor's businesses in the contract. You know that Northman would not stand for such actions; regardless of Victor's positions in my kingdom. He would become territorial and do what is necessary to maintain his status. Victor will try to take Sookie and Eric will take care of Victor himself."

She only smiled. Freyda is no fool. She knew that Eric would kill Victor and if things went as she planned, she would have Eric, the telepath, and Felipe's territories. She knew that Eric would not sit back and allow Victor to destroy his name and all that he has built and fought for. She knew that Eric would never let the telepath go. She knew that if she bided her time, things would fall into place and she would get everything that she wanted. She only had to wait for them to do the dirty work for her.

Ocella should be in Bon Temps by now, she thought. He will meet with Eric and tell Eric what he has to do. He will have to command him but it will be done just the same. She wasn't above having him forced to marry her. He'd get over it and he would learn to love her …in time. He was going to love her just as much as he loves his pet. He'll love her and she'll make Sookie heel to her. She will have everything that she wants.

"You can have the telepath. Do with her as you wish. I just want Eric." She stood from her seat and smoothed the front of her blouse; making sure that her hands ran over her beautiful breasts. "Let me know how you want to handle Victor and I will stand with you."

"I'll take care of that," Felipe said. "He will meet the final death but it will not be by our hands."

She bowed elegantly to the king. "Well, he is your regent." With that said, Freyda was gone.

When the door closed behind her, Felipe got lost in thought. He has always known that he couldn't trust Victor. He knew that it would be just a matter of time before Victor would do something to betray him. Victor tried to get Eric to betray him when he said that Felipe never said that Sookie was under his protection. That did not work. He sent those vampires to attack Pam and Sookie but that did not work. He was hoping that Eric would leave his home that night and kill Bruno and Corrine but that did not work. That would have given him reason to kill the sheriff or order the sheriff's death. At that moment, Felipe knew what needed to be done.

Felipe made the call. "Victor," he said. "Freyda came to me and told me that you are anxious to open up some businesses in my areas. She said that you had some excellent ideas. She said that if they do well, we can open a few in her territories; great initiative, regent. I told her that I agree with your plans. Open your business or businesses. Make sure that they are successful. I expect nothing less of you."

Victor thanked his king over and over again for giving him the chance to show that he is a moneymaker. "I won't let you down, your grace."

"I know that you won't."

And he didn't. He was a huge success. He'd gone so far as to even affect the business of the local shifter. He was doing so well that just a few weeks later, Victor was finally dead. When he'd gotten the news, Felipe knew that their plan was falling into place. Pretty soon, he would be getting everything that he deserved.

He deserved it all.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>As the council members talked amongst themselves, he looked out into the vampire audience. Felipe could hear them calling him a disgrace, a liar, and a fraud. The Pythoness was right. He was going to die without honor. He was going to die in front of his fellow vampires and forever be known as the disgraced king. He dropped his head in shame. It pained him that he would forever been seen in that light.<p>

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Winona asked Felipe.

"There is nothing to say," Felipe said in a weak voice.

The council members stood in front of the king and looked at him. They felt no pity for him. They only felt disgust. They felt betrayed. He was a fellow monarch. He made all vampires look devious and untrustworthy. Many of them were but not to that degree.

"Then it is unanimous. The king will meet the final death," the Pythoness said to the other members. Each member said aye. "And so it is," the priestess said. "Who will do the …?"

Gerry was the first one to speak. "I will do it." Looking the king in his bloodied eyes, he said, "I would love nothing more." Putting on the leather gloves, Gerry took the gold handled sword with the silver blade from its sheath. With the tip barely touching the neck of the king, he asked, "Do you want to know what we've decided to do about the sheriff and his human?"

Felipe shook his head no; not seeming to notice or care that the silver blade was piercing his neck. "I don't care," he said.

"Really?" he asked. "And why is that?"

"Because it doesn't matter anymore," he said. "I have lost and that is the end of it."

"Is it because you're about to meet the final death?" Winona asked as she stepped forward. She was just as curious as everyone else. "I can't help but wonder why you would go through so much trouble when in the end you say that you don't care. Was all of this just a waste of everyone's time?" She placed her hand on Gerry's elbow and pushed the tip of the blade into the king's neck. "We've spent the last four hours amusing you? Is that what you're saying?"

The king's blood was pooling around the tip of the blade. "No." Turning his head slowly to look at Sookie, he said, "I wanted her. The way she fought for the Viking was courageous. She feared nothing. Fighting vampires in order to save her precious Viking …I would love to have someone like that stand with me. Being king, I felt that I needed someone like her to stand with me. I would have done anything to make her mine." He looked defiantly into the eyes of the king and queen and said, "Anything."

With her hand still on Gerry's elbow, Winona said, "You've proven that. You're willing to die for her." Felipe said nothing. "Well," Winona continued, "if you have nothing else to say, I think that it's time for you to meet the true death." Looking up at Gerry, she asked, "What do you think, Gerry?"

He looked at his comrade and said, "I do believe you're right."

Before he had the pleasure of beheading the king, Felipe spoke. "I do have one question."

Gerry looked to the priestess to see if the question could be asked. As if she could see him, she nodded.

"Proceed," Gerry said.

"Who gave you the contracts that I and Ocella signed? Who betrayed me?" He knew the answer but he needed to hear them say it.

Winona stepped back as the king readied his sword. Her fangs dropped with anticipation. Every vampire in the building dropped their fangs. The blood lust had filled the room. Winona quickly wrapped her arms around the waist of the king as she nuzzled his neck. Gerry looked at her over his shoulder and returned the sentiment by using his free hand to force her body closer to his. Eric was watching Sookie. She was watching him. Vampires were growling within their chests. The room was ripe for the picking.

With his arm drawn back in the swinging motion, his eyes on Felipe's he said, "Freyda."

Just before the blade beheaded the former king Felipe de Castro, he smiled and said, "She always has a plan."

So was the end of Felipe de Castro.


	35. Chapter 35

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: False Hope**

**Chapter 35**

**I apologize for the long time before posting this chapter. I have been re-reading and re-reading. I just wanted to be sure that it was going to be good enough but I decided to post to see how it goes. Thanks to you all for reading and reviewing.**

**This is Sookie's PoV. We are in Sookie's mind as we watch what's going on and what's happening to her.**

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><p>"They are free."<p>

I exhaled and I let the tears flow freely.

"There will be no punishment against the vampire and his mate," the Pythoness announced as Felipe's remains were being cleaned from the stage.

The word 'free' played over and over in my mind.

"Are there any objections?" she asked the other members of the council.

I closed my eyes and held my breath as I listened to the answers from each vampire. Nay was said over and over and over again.

We are free.

Eric and I are free.

No more Victor.

Pam and Bill are free.

No more Felipe.

We are finally free!

The Pythoness had set us free. Happiness; we finally have happiness. I opened my eyes and looked at Eric. He looked like the same vampire that I'd fallen in love with. He looked as if he wouldn't have cared what the verdict would have been but I knew different. As soon as the trial started, we could feel each other's pains and fears. We could feel the ache coursing through our bond before our voices were heard or a decision was made. Without saying so, we would have left here together no matter what the council would have decided; dead or alive. We would have fought to the bitter end for each other. We wouldn't have allowed it to go any other way. As I looked at him, his comparison of us being better than Romeo and Juliet replayed in my heart and in my mind. We are better than they were. We were determined that nothing was going to tear us apart. Our love is strong enough for us to fight to stay together. Not even death can keep us apart.

"Send the humans away," the Pythoness ordered of her guards.

Even though they were a part of the trial, they are still only humans. They couldn't know certain things and I can pretty much guarantee that they wouldn't remember what happened tonight. I watched as Amelia and Immanuel were led from the room. Amelia waved to me and blew me a kiss. Her mind was telling me that she was happy for me; even Eric. She told me to tell him that she was sorry for what she'd done. From her mind, I could tell that she was sincere. She was sending us her love. I gave her mine in return. The door closed loudly behind them as they were escorted away.

Once they were gone, the Pythoness had my husband in her sights (ha!). Her blind gaze fell upon him. "Northman, stand before me," the Pythoness ordered.

Look at him; my warrior, my hero, my protector, and my lover. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched him walk across that stage. His head held high. Back straight. His eyes never strayed from the one he was going to. He is so regal, so dominant. He oozes self-confidence and strength. He is amazing. I can only imagine what he was like as a human. I'd bet that his presence was just as strong. I'll bet that his wife was proud to claim him as her own. Neither man nor vampire can compare to him. He's taller than any vampire in this room; he towers over them. His mere presence lets them all know, king and underling alike, that he's the strongest and the smartest of them all. His strong handsome face makes him even more threatening to anyone that tries to go against him. His long blond hair falls over his strong back and his broad shoulders. It's no wonder Freyda wants what she cannot have. A smirk threatened to take capture of my mouth as I admired him. Before it can, Eric sends me a burst of love. He felt my admiration and he stood taller. I am proud to say that he belongs to me and my back straightens. My head sits higher and my love for him grows.

The Pythoness faced the vampires in attendance as she placed her decrepit hand on Eric's shoulder. She made her ruling known to all; her voice echoing in the silent room. "Let it be known that the vampire and his human are free from punishment. Their actions were more than justified. Let it be known of the plan to destroy what the vampire has built and claimed. Let it be known that they are free. Spread the word that the territories of the former king known as Felipe de Castro will fall under the rule of Eric Northman, former Sheriff of Area Five. There will be no disputes to claim these territories. He shall rule until he meets his final death. All hail the new king of Louisiana, Nevada, and Arkansas." She took a step back as Eric took center stage. Eric stood stoically and looked out in the crowd as they cheered on his victory.

Eric bowed to the priestess. "Thank you, high priestess. Your blessings and ruling are more than expected. I will rule with honor and dignity. Your faith in me will not be in vain."

My heart skipped a beat when I heard him speak. His accent was more pronounced. My Viking was even more spectacular than he was thirty seconds earlier. His emotions were blazing through me. He was filled with pride though no one would ever be able tell just by looking at his face. It is as impassive and cold as it usually is. I love him more than I thought possible. I sent him a blast of my love and his blue blazed as he turned to look at me. I wanted him to claim me. His nostrils flared and his fangs dropped when he looked at me.

"Come to me, human," the Pythoness said; her bent finger calling me to her. "Stand with your vampire and take your place at his side. He is yours and yours he will remain."

Eric held his hand out to me as I went to stand with him. When I took his hand, my heart melted and my knees went weak. I smiled as I looked up at him. His eyes were cold to everyone else; only I could see the love and the humanity behind them. I looked from my warrior to the Pythoness and I let pride flood through the bond.

"Thank you, high priestess," I said as I bowed to her.

As she acknowledged my thanks with a nod, she spoke to us. "You and your Viking will remain as one. The contract of marriage set into place by the king's maker is no longer valid. You and your human shall remain bonded."

Turning to the others, she says, "If any attempt is made to take the human from the vampire, final death will come upon thee. If any attempt is made to take the vampire from the human, final death will come upon thee. There will be no trial. There will be no need for explanations. There will only be death. Thou shall not claim what is his. Thou shall not claim what is hers. When it comes to the human, our laws will forever stand. They shall remain as one until the day the human's life ends or until the king meets his final death. No one, vampire or human, shall end what they did not bind.

"I offer you, the King and Queen of Louisiana, Nevada, and Arkansas; Eric Northman and his human, Sookie Stackhouse. Go forth and spread the word amongst our kind. Let all in the supernatural community know of their new king and his queen. They will make announcements on their own during the planning of their coronation. It is so ordered and so it shall be."

The vampires that were there to witness the trial walked to the stage to give their congratulations to us. Some only come forth to meet the telepath. Others left immediately to spread the word of the council's ruling.

The contract had been broken. He is mine forever. The trial was over. The Pythoness and the other members of the council were the first to stand before us. The female vampires bowed deeply to Eric but ever so slightly to me. I didn't have to be a vampire to see that they weren't going to bow down to me; a lowly human. The idea of bowing to a human/fae was not in their blood. Only they felt that way. The Pythoness and Gerry bowed to me in the same manner as they bowed to Eric.

Gerry stared at me but spoke to Eric. "She is quite enchanting, Northman. May I have the pleasure of admiring your queen?"

"From afar, you may," Eric said; his fangs drawn.

"I mean no disrespect." Gerry bowed to me and said, "You are different. I"

"Thank you," I said smoothly. "And I am his." As I took Eric's hand, I returned Gerry's bow; making sure that he realized where my loyalty and love stands.

"I hope to meet you again," he said.

"In passing, I sure of it," I answered.

Without giving him anymore of my time, I gave my attentions to Eric. We stood side by side as the royals and vampires in positions from different areas gave us their blessings.

As each vampire passed, somehow, I can tell what their intentions are. That has never happened before. I knew which vampires were true in their allegiance. I knew those that expected something in return. I knew those that expected to use my gift. Because I am watching those that were speaking to my husband, I didn't pay attention to the vampire that was speaking to me.

"My dear Sookie," the voice said.

Tearing my face from the liar that was speaking to Eric, I was staring at one of my most favorite vampires; Rasul. I almost hugged him but remembered where I was. I gave him a genuine smile. Eric felt my excitement and looked to see who was with me. Rasul bowed to my husband. Eric looked from me to Rasul. "Good evening," he said as he went back to his earlier conversation. He felt no threat from Rasul and had no reason to. He has always known that I am partial to the vampire. He is quite charming and has a mean sense of humor.

"It is so good to see you. How have you been?" I asked Rasul as I gripped his hand. "You're looking as stylish as ever."

He smiled broadly, closed his eyes and inhaled. "As do you and you smell divine; as always, absolutely divine. I have to say that I have been doing very well."

"Thank you so much. You look as if you've been doing well. It's so good to see you." I winked at him and smiled.

"Your highness, I want to pledge my allegiance to you and your king." He stepped forward and bent slightly as he spoke to me. "You don't know this but you saved me in Rhodes. You pointed the humans to where I was. I would have met the final death if not for you." He held my hand tighter and kneeled before me, "I offer you my life as payment." His head touched the back of my hand before he stood again.

"Rasul, no; I did it because your life is just as valuable as anyone else's. I didn't do it expecting anything in return. You don't have to do that. Your life belongs to you. I don't want it." I looked around and many were watching me argue with this vampire for pledging his life to me. "Please, don't ..."

He cut me off. "It is mine to give and to you I give it."

"But Rasul," I started.

Rasul stood tall and looked down at me. "I'm beginning to feel insulted."

My eyes widened as I rapidly shook my head. "I don't want to insult you. That's not my intention."

He began to laugh. "I was kidding."

"Oh," I said as my shoulders relaxed. "Okay."

"But I do pledge my allegiance to you."

"Thank you, Rasul. You are a true friend." I looked to Eric and he nodded. I gave Rasul a hug. I then whispered in his ear. "When the time comes, I will take you upon your pledge."

He placed his hand to his chest and nodded.

He moved on and made the same pledge to Eric.

When Rasul was gone, Eric looked at me and asked, "What did you say to him?"

"That he is a good friend and that one day we might have to take him upon his pledge," I answered. I don't know how I know that but deep down I know that we will need Rasul.

After our little talk, Eric and I went back to greeting our subjects. The more vampires that stood before us, the more I could see. I could see those that will stand with us and those that will betray us. Our enemies would fall at the end of my husband's sword. The final death will come swiftly to them. I could see those that will stand with us when the time comes and for them, I see death. For that, I am sorry.

A sudden wave of weariness washed over me as a fog filled my mind. Fatigue soon took over. From the look on his face, Eric could feel my exhaustion. I felt my body begin to weaken; almost drained of any life that I'd earlier felt. The room began to spin and I felt empty all of a sudden.

"Eric, I have had a long day. I need to rest. I guess my spa day wasn't as relaxing as I thought it was."

Pulling me away from the others, Eric said, "We can return to our quarters if needed, lover." He placed his hand upon my cheek and frowned. "You are cooler than you should be. Are you ill?"

"Not all. I just need to sit down. With all that's been going on, I haven't had much rest. After tonight, I will be fine and will sleep in. You don't need to worry over me. You need to stay here and greet the others. I'll be sitting right over there."

When I pointed to where I'd be sitting, I noticed that every vampire there was watching us. Fear pierced me. They were whispering as they looked at me. They wanted to use me; use my telepathy. They wanted Eric to leave me alone so that they could take me away from him.

Eric lifted my face to his. "What's wrong?"

I tried to hide into his body. "They're all staring at me," I whispered into his chest. "Don't they know that she said that they can't have me?" I stepped closer to him. "Look at how they're staring at me." I hid my face into his chest. "Do they know who I am and what I can do? Do they know that he is my kin?"

Eric stroked my head and told me that everything was okay. In my ear, he said, "They do not know of your kin. The Pythoness said that they spread the rumor. She has led them all to believe that it was a lie. They know nothing of your family. His name was never mentioned, Sookie." He stopped stroking my head as he asked, "Do you not remember?"

I look up at him and shook my head.

"Maybe we should go home."

I shook my head no. "I'm fine. I don't know why I acting this way." I tried giggling but came out as a sigh. "It has to be exhaustion."

He pressed my head to his chest and said, "You have nothing to fear, lover. You face no harm. Anyone that tries to harm you will meet the true death. I swear it." I heard concern in his voice.

"I'm so tired, Eric." My body went limp against his. "I just need to sleep but it's not time. If I go to sleep …"

Again, he lifted my face to his. His eyes were no longer devoid of feeling. His face was no longer the blank canvas from earlier. "What does that mean …'it's not time'?" As his eyes searched my face, I knew that he was looking for something. Whatever he's looking for, he wouldn't find it. "Does this have to do with Niall's visit… the dream?"

Confusion swirled around me. "What dream are you talking about? The last time I saw Niall, was when Mustapha took me to see our new house. He said that he'd be here for the wedding. He's supposed to give us a wedding gift but nothing else. I haven't had any dreams because I haven't had any sleep." I yawned and returned my head to his chest. "I'm just tired. I've had a long day."

"You told me of a dream that you had of Niall." He looked at me as if I should remember.

I shook my head. "I can't remember. I'm just so tired. That's probably why I can't remember." I sighed. "We've been going nonstop for awhile now. That's all it is. You keep doing what you're doing and I'll just go over there and sit down. I'll be fine in a minute, okay?"

Eric didn't seem convinced. "Don't leave this room, Sookie. Stay here so that I can keep watch over you."

Normally, I would argue at the idea of being watched but I couldn't even muster up the energy to do that. It took everything in me to make it to my seat. When I was seated, I looked at Eric and he was focused on me.

"I love you," I said in a whispered voice; knowing that he could hear me.

"And I you, lover," he said.

A vampire then said Eric's name in order to get his attention. I saw the vampire's intentions; he is untrue and will fall at Eric's sword. He's working with the enemy.

Eric gave him a dismissive nod. Good. He deserved no more than that. Eric kept looking at me. His mouth moved lightly and Pam suddenly appeared at his side. Bill and Maxwell were not far behind. Eric spoke to them as they watched me. Still facing me, the vampires scattered about. The vampire that was vying for his attentions now had his back to me. I kept my eyes on him. Eric kept his eyes on me.

While I watched Eric, Bill came over and sat with me. Never being one to beat around the bush, Bill got right down to business. "You said that I would not remember you. What did you mean?" He fell silent as he stared at me for a moment before he spoke again. "Is your grandfather seeking revenge against me for what I did to you? I believed that you had forgiven me for my mistakes." There is a hint of surprise and sadness in his normally cool voice.

"What are you talking about? I would never let Niall harm you. Why would you say that? We dated, Bill. I'm too unforgettable to be forgotten." I winked at him. "You know that."

When I saw the loneliness in his eyes, it took me back to when he was suffering through silver poisoning. I placed my hand on his thigh. "Are you suffering any setbacks from the silver poisoning? I know that if there's a problem, your sister will come back to help you. I'll call her if you need."

His cool brown eyes were no longer cool. He's worried. His expression is the same as Eric's. "There is no silver in my blood, Sookie and how can you not remember saying that? You said that I would not remember you but you told Stan that he would remember you. You told Russell that he would remember only your name. You speak as if you are leaving."

I laughed. "I'm not going anywhere. If I said that, I didn't mean it. I've just been so tired. Do you know if I've said it to Eric …or Pam?" I looked at nothing and asked, "Why would I say that?"

Bill dropped to his knees and gripped my hands. He stared at me for a moment before speaking again. "Sookie, you did say it Pam." Looking deeper into my eyes, he asked, "Are you well? If you need a doctor, Eric can summon Dr. Ludwig. She can …"

I only stared at him. He continued to speak but I didn't hear him. When his lips stopped moving, he looked as if he was waiting. I just didn't know what he was waiting for. I couldn't give him what he's looking for. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"My life is yours. I will stand with you and Eric." He walked away and went to stand with Eric, Pam, and Maxwell Lee. They each watched me. Bill's mouth was barely moving but I could see that he was telling Eric about our conversation.

He was worried for me. Eric said something to Pam. She bowed to her maker and was gone. I continued to sit in silence as my mind began to clear once again. The fog and the fatigue slowly lifted from my body.

I watched the quick movements of the vampires around me; my vampires standing on guard. They assumed that I didn't know what they are doing. Eric kept whispering to Pam and she'd run off to do his bidding. Maxwell Lee walked smoothly throughout the room. He was on his phone every now and again. I knew what they're doing. Did they forget that I was part of the same hearing? Do they not realize that I know that Freyda is not willfully giving up what she so desperately wants? Do they think that I'm going to sit by and let her try to take my husband from me? I won't allow it. I knew exactly what he's doing. He would sacrifice many to save one. It was not acceptable.

I looked at Eric and smiled broadly. I waved at him and blew him a kiss. His brow furrowed as he looked at me. He didn't return my show of affection which didn't surprise me. A vampire blowing kisses in public? Ha! That would never happen.

As I sat and watched the vampires come and go, a soft, melodic voice played in my ear, "Cousin."

When I heard the voice, I looked around the room to see if it was really her voice.

"Cousin," she said again.

"Claudine? Where are you?" I didn't see her but I could hear her. I can feel her warmth. I can even smell her. She smelled so sweet; just like before, only sweeter. It was almost as if she was alive! How can this be? She's in the Summerlands!

"Around," she said. Her laughter reminded me of wind chimes. My happiness was short lived. I remembered that she died for me. I then remembered her baby; the baby she so desperately wanted, died because of me.

"I'm so sorry for what I've done to you. I'm so sorry about your baby. If it hadn't been for me, you and your child would still be here. How can you forgive me? I'm awful."

Her voice echoed loudly in my ears. "I knew my destiny and the path that I chose was done of my own free will. I blame you for nothing that has happened. Your fate has been fulfilled and your destiny will be great. Look at your vampire, Sookie." I could feel her hand resting on my shoulder. "He was meant for you. He is your destiny."

He looked at me with those blazing blue eyes and I saw that my whole life's happiness is wrapped up in him. Eric and I are going to do great things. My heart began to swell with pride and love filled me. Claudine's voice began to sound far away.

"Listen for my voice, Sookie, when the time comes. The pain is yours to bear. I will be with you but the pain is yours to bear." Before her voice faded completely away, she said, "I was never here." It echoed in my mind over and over again.

Fatigue was upon me once again. Once I think I'm pepping up a bit, I can't stop yawning. While I sit and wait, Pam came over to keep me company. "I'm so tired, Pam," I said as she sat beside me.

Pam simply said, "You are human. You have had a busy day. I would expect that you are tired. You can't be too tired, though. Bill and I have planned a trip for you and Eric. You two deserve some time alone."

"Some time to get away from Freyda?" I asked. "Is that what you mean?"

She looked at me thoughtfully as she ignored my question. "You do seem a little more tired than usual. A vacation is what you need, my friend."

I cocked my head to the side and looked at her. "Pam, have I been weird today?"

She shook her head no. "No more than you normally are." I chuckled just a little. I didn't even have the strength the laugh. It just wasn't in me.

Without thinking, I placed my hand on hers and scooted my chair close to hers and rested my head on her shoulder. I felt her stiffen but she didn't move. "You're my best friend, Pam and I love you. Bill said that I told you that you would remember me. If I said it, I hope it's true. I hope that you never forget how much I love you." I closed my eyes just for a minute.

Pam rested her head on top of mine and made a very human sound; she sighed. This was the most intimate gesture she'd ever made towards me. She took my hand in hers as we enjoyed each other's company. Both of us were looking at Eric.

"I love him, Pam."

"I know. My master is happier because of you. You've made him feel feelings that he believed to be long dead. I hated you for that."

"Why?"

"You changed him. I regretted the day that he met you. You were constantly in his thoughts. I did all in my power to keep his mind preoccupied but you always seemed to need him. He enjoys being needed and loved instead of being used and feared. You're his reason. You were and are a threat to his existence."

"How?" I ask.

"Because you are human; if you die, he will surely meet the sun. He will no longer have any need to walk this world. He was carefree before you. He knew not what it was to have feelings. He will no longer be able to live as he did before. You are his existence. Without you, there is no Eric. He loves you more than he loves himself. He loves you more than he loves me."

I sat up and looked at him and I knew that she's telling the truth. He _will_ meet the sun if I no longer walk this world. But that won't happen. He'll never have to walk this world without me. I didn't want her worry about her maker's safety or well-being. I looked around the room before I told Pam our secret. I see no danger in telling her. She is his most trusted vampire; his child. I didn't want her to worry about him. Eric will have no reason to meet the sun. We'll always be together.

I placed my hand on top of Pam's. "If I tell you something, you can't tell anyone."

"I am insulted." She waited.

"Sorry," I said. I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "After we are married, he is going to turn me. I will be his wife in every way, Pam."

A flicker of happiness passed through Pam's eyes before she could stop it. "I am pleased."

We sat together for awhile and held hands. Another hour passed before most of the vampires were gone. Eric saw that Pam and I were holding hands. A faint smile threatened to appear on his face. He never thought that he'd see the day that Pam and I would become best girlfriends; especially best girlfriends that hold hands with each other …in public. Pam didn't say anything. She must be in her downtime. I can tell that he is going to tease her about this later and that would ruin everything. I couldn't allow that. I stuck my tongue out at him. That got a big laugh out of him.

His laughter shook Pam from her reverie. She stood and offered me her hand. When I took it, we walked over to Eric. She told me to stand beside him because she had something to say. "I have a surprise for you, Sookie." Still facing us, she said, "You may come in now."

Bubba came from behind the curtain followed by a man in a suit.

"Bubba," I yelled as I ran to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "How have you been? I've missed you. You didn't get into any trouble with Felipe did you?"

"No ma'am," he said. "I told Felipe that Victor was a bad man. You and Mr. Eric have always been kind to me."

"You're the best vampire in the world, Bubba." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Pam told me to be here. She said she wanted you to see all of your friends tonight. I was invited to your wedding."

I looked at Eric and I asked, "Really? We're getting married tonight?"

"Yes, lover; there is no reason why we should wait. You are mine. I am yours." Bringing my hands to his mouth, he kissed them. "You do want to marry me."

It didn't sound like a question but I knew that it was. I could feel his uncertainty. I can understand why. My flightiness has been a little much tonight; even for me.

"I want nothing more," I said. I looked into his eyes and I remembered the night we had under the waterfall. It was ours. The night was ours. No matter what happens, we'll always have tonight.

"I have something for you," Bill said. He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and handed it to me. I opened the box and my heart almost stopped. In it, there are two gold wedding bands. Not just any wedding bands; they were the wedding bands of Mitchell and Adele Stackhouse.

"Where did you get these?" I asked.

"Jason," Bill answered. "He said that you left so quickly on the day of your last visit to Bon Temps that he didn't get to give them to you. He said that he knew that your grandmother would have wanted you to have them." Bill looked at the rings with longing and regret.

"Thank you, Bill." I kissed his cheek. I looked at Eric and asked, "Is it okay if we wear my grandparent's rings? If you've chosen something new then that would be fine too."

"No, my lover. I am honored that you would want me to wear your grandfather's ring. When Bill said that Jason wanted him to give these to you as a wedding gift, I stopped Pam from purchasing new rings. There was no need. These rings are already bound by love." I took grandpa's ring from the velvet box and held it tightly in my hand. Eric did the same with gran's.

A man's voice entered my mind._ 'They are in love.'_

I looked at the man and I knew where I'd seen him before. He'd been on the news. The FoTSs members hate him. "You're Father Lathery. You marry humans and vampires."

"I do," he said as he smiled at us.

I walked up to him and offered him my hand. He took it with a smile. "Hi. I'm Sookie Stackhouse. I'm very pleased to meet you."

"Same here, Miss. Stackhouse," he replied. He then released my hand. "When I met with Mr. Northman a few days ago, he said that you were unaware of his plan but you were willing to become his wife." He smiled from me to Eric. "He spoke very highly of you. I can tell that he loves you and I see that you truly love him. I am more than willing to perform this ceremony."

My joy turned to worry. "What am I supposed to do for a wedding dress? This dress is white. I thought that we decided on cream, Pam."

"I think that white is a more color suitable for you. That is why the dress you are wearing was chosen," Pam said. "From my understanding, you can wear white even if you are not a virgin. Abby advises that white can be worn as a symbol of a new beginning. This is a new beginning. You are more than properly attired."

Leave it to Pam to be so together and make perfect sense. I looked from Eric to Father Lathery. We had our vampires with us, we had a few strays that lingered, and we had each other.

"Well, let's get married."

Niall ...I looked around to see if maybe he was hiding somewhere. I didn't see any femininely, handsome men and I couldn't smell him. While I thought of him, Pam left the room but reentered with vampires and a cake in tow.

Thalia, Indira, and Heidi came onto the stage. Pam was behind them pushing the biggest and tallest wedding cake I'd ever seen. I couldn't help but laugh. "Did you order the cake?" I asked her.

"I did," she said proudly. "It's what they call red velvet; _bloody_ red velvet."

I told her how beautiful it was and couldn't stop laughing at the size of it. It was gonna take me years to eat it. Once I was able to compose myself and everything was ready to go, Father Lathery began to perform our wedding. He started the service as he would any traditional wedding. In his eyes, we are no different than any other couple that has stood before him. Eric's just a little taller than I am and a little bit older.

Eric looked at me and smiled for the first time since we'd been here. He looked deeply into my eyes as Father Lathery told us to recite our vows. Eric went first. When Father Lathery said the part love, honor, and obey, Eric looked at him and says, "Obey?"

Pam and I looked at each. Thalia, Indira, and Heidi look on to see what Eric is going to say. Every male vampire was looking on and they had looks that showed that they were absolutely appalled to have to obey anyone; especially a human wife. I thought it was right funny.

"Yes, obey," Father Lathery repeated. "Some humans require that as a vow but it can be omitted if requested."

"I would like to have that omitted," I said. "It's okay. I don't need that."

The father agreed and Eric recited the vow word for word; making sure to leave out obey.

It was now my turn. I repeated my husband's vow word for word. I also made sure to leave the word obey from my vow. But I did add some extra to mine. "The first night I met you, I thought that you were a jerk and that you were conceited. I was right (Pam smirked, Bill agreed). If someone had told me that I would be standing here vowing everlasting love to you, I would have said that they were wrong. I would have told them that I prefer cancer. Now, look at us." Placing his hand to my heart, I continued. "My heart beats because of you. I love because of you. I never would have thought in all of my life that meeting you would be the best night of my life. I love you, Eric and promise all of my nights only to you."

Bill looked straight ahead; no expression was on his face.

"Now for the exchanging of the rings," the father said.

As Eric put the ring on my finger, he said in his commanding and domineering voice, "This ring is a symbol of our love, our strength, and our unity. I honor you with all that I am. Forever I will walk this world with you. My life and love I pledge only to you. You. Are. Mine." My heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn't stop giggling I was so nervous.

As I slid the ring onto Eric's finger, I thought that I, Sookie Stackhouse, am a married woman! I have had a human wedding! I screamed from happiness. My hands went instantly to my mouth. Father Lathery and Eric were the only ones to smile with me. Everyone else was looking at me as if I was psychotic.

Finally, I was able to say, "This ring is a symbol of our love, our strength, and our unity. I honor you with all that I am. Forever I will walk this world with you." I looked at him and I sent love and pride through our bond. I wanted them all to know. There will be no hiding our plans for eternity. "Until final death takes us, I will belong only to you."

With his fangs drawn, he pulls me into his grip and kissed me passionately. With his lips barely touching mine, he said, "Tonight."

"Tonight," I said huskily. I claimed his mouth once more before the father cleared his throat.

We stared into each other's eyes as we listened to the whispers about the revelation that Eric is my husband, he will be my maker, and that he is my king. They all needed to know that forever we will be as one. I will never leave his side. This night belonged to me and Eric.

"Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse have taken the vow to love one another for the remaining days of their lives. May the love and the happiness that brought you two together, be with you always. I would like to be the first to introduce you all to Mr. and Mrs. Eric and Sookie Northman. You may kiss your bride …again."

He kissed me as delicately as he could; light and beautiful. It was the most beautiful kiss he'd ever given me. When our kiss was broken, everyone else was gone. Their faces and voices fade away into the night. It was only us. I stepped into my husband's space and tasted the sweetest taste I've ever known. The warmth of our love filled the room.

"I love you," he said.

"Oh yeah?" I asked as I brush my lips over his. "Shout it to the world, then. Tell them all that you love me. Scream it at the top of your lungs so that the world can hear you say 'I LOVE SOOKIE STACKHOUSE'!" I lightly kissed him. "Tell it to the world."

He looked down at me and brushed my hair from my face. He leaned down and kissed my ear and then he whispered the words, "I love Sookie Stackhouse."

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I giggled. "You're supposed to shout it to the world."

Looking into my eyes, he said, "You are my world."

There was only one thing that I could think to say to that. "Feed from me," I whispered.

In my ear, I heard his fangs click into place. He licked my neck and I shuddered from his touch and anticipation. Slowly, his fangs pierced my skin. Only the tips of his fangs were inside of me. I gasped as I pulled him closer to me. When his fangs were fully inside of me, I could feel myself orgasm with each pull. When he was done, he licked the wounds and kissed from my neck to my mouth.

His kisses took me away but not far enough. The fog appeared in my head again. I heard Claudine. "You must tell him, Sookie. You have to tell him now. The time is near."

"Get the humans out of here."

Eric frowned but did as I said. "Pam, get the humans out of here. Get them and Bubba somewhere safe."

Pam blurred through the room and did as Eric ordered.

With his eyes still on me, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Tell him now, Sookie."

"I love you, Eric. Promise me that you'll remember me. You'll love me."

He stared down at me and he was afraid. He didn't know what to do or what to say. My husband felt helpless.

When Pam reentered the room, she felt his fear and pain. She wanted to come to us but ran from the room when she heard Indira calling to her. I traced my finger along his face and I went back to the first night I met him.

"The first night I met you, I wanted so desperately to return to Fangtasia to talk to you again but I was afraid. You made me laugh and took away my loneliness. I won't be afraid next time."

"Sookie," Eric said; his voice was trembling.

My knees went weak. My body was draped over his arm as I looked up at him.

"Sookie!" he called. He dropped to his knees and held me.

My heart was pounding in my chest. My breathing was hurried. I was sweating but I was freezing. I had so much more to say but I couldn't speak.

"You're so cold," he said.

"They're coming, Sookie," Claudine said in my ear. "Tell him. They're coming."

"They're coming Eric," I repeated to him. "You have to let me go. You have to fight. I'll wait for you."

Bloody tears pooled in his eyes. Before he was able to speak, Mustapha and Maxwell Lee came into the room; weapons in hand. Eric ignored them and pulled me closer into him. Maxwell Lee said, "Freyda is here and she's not alone." Maxwell and Mustapha were sad for me. They'll remember.

My head was filled with the sounds of the voices around me. Our bond was filled with Eric's fear. My eyes couldn't leave his face.

"Eric, they are coming! We have to fight!" Mustapha said.

Eric continued to ignore them. He kept his focus on me just as he's always done; my Viking, my warrior, my protector …my dearest and one true love.

Pam and Bill glided swiftly to stand by Eric. Pam ordered Maxwell Lee and Mustapha to go to the courtyard. When they were gone, she told Eric, "You need to hide her," Pam suggested. He didn't move. She did the only thing that she could do. She viciously bit him in order to get his attention. That time he looked at her. With his blood dripping from her mouth, she said, "They've come to kill her. You must let her go …now!"

Realizing what she'd said, he placed me under the large table clothed covered table. "I know that you can hear me. Listen to me lover; don't move. Whatever happens, you do not move from here. Do you understand me?"

"I love you," I said. He stayed kneeled in front of me, watching me. I could feel that he didn't want to leave me but Pam made sure to get him moving.

"NOW!" Pam yelled from behind him. She looked at me one last time before she left. I smiled at her. I knew that she would get him going. I can always depend on her. She swiftly wiped the blood from her eyes and she was gone.

I watched as their feet were all that I could see. I heard an unfamiliar voice and I know right away that it's Freyda.

"Congratulations, Eric," Freyda said. "I hear you've won. You no longer have to marry me. I guess my little plan backfired. I was hoping that they would punish you for killing Victor but alas, I was wrong." She sarcastically clapped her hands in defeat. "As you all know, I always have a backup plan." I could hear her heels clicking slowly across the floor. I saw other feet walking in behind her. "So, where's your wife?"

The coldness dripped from Eric's voice when he spoke to her. "Why would you want to see the human that has defeated you? Haven't you shamed yourself enough? Have you come here to die?"

I saw Bill's, Pam's and Maxwell's feet as they moved smoothly through the room. I saw the bodies of vampires falling to the floor.

Eric's voice was as smooth as ice and as hard as steel. "You've lived hundreds of years, Freyda. I know that you don't want your existence to end tonight so I suggest that you leave."

As sounds of battle came from the hallway, Eric ordered Bill and Pam to go. Without hesitation, they were gone.

Standing in the middle of the room, Freyda said again, "Oh, Eric. I just want to meet her ...again. She was just adorable in Rhodes. I'll bet she's just as cute as a bug's ear. I just want to see if she's changed. Can't I congratulate her? Won't you play fairly?" My Viking said nothing. "Well, since you want to be a baby about it."

Suddenly, from behind me, vampires appeared from behind the wall. I heard Eric screaming. My arms and legs began to burn. I reached for my neck and I could feel the heat from the silver. My body stiffened as his pain flooded through the bond. Before I could scream, an invisible hand clamped over my mouth. My screams were silenced but the pain was mine to bear.

I could hear Freyda's heels clicking across the floor. "Where is she, Viking?"

"Fuck you," he said. His shirt was soon ripped from his body and silver was strapped to his chest.

"If you behave, you just might."

"I will fucking kill you," Pam yelled at the queen. I could hear her blade as it swept through the air. A vampire's head rolled across the floor and stopped in front of Freyda's feet.

"Come near me," Freyda said. "And I'll behead him." She was behind him before I realized that she'd moved. Pam stopped and I could feel her despair as she looked at her maker.

"Eric," I whispered. "I can't let this happen to you."

He forced his will on me.

He screamed once again. Pain burned into my chest and back.

"Now, Sookie," Claudine said.

I pulled the cloth back from the table and I came out. "Please, don't hurt him. I'm here."

They had him on his knees. Silver wrapped around his wrists and bare legs. His bare chest was covered in burning sores. He could barely keep his head lifted to even look at me. I ran to him and held his face in my hands. I kissed the tears from his face. He looked at the burn marks on my arms and wrists.

"My baby," I whispered. "Romeo and Juliet, remember? They have nothing on us?"

Freyda had a silver bladed knife in her hand and she had wielded and ready to kill him. "Sookie," he said weakly.

She dropped the knife in front of Eric and looked at me. I stood up from Eric as she walked a circle around me. "Well …you're his human. You're the one that he loves so much." She looked into my eyes and I could feel her trying to get inside of my mind.

"I can't be glamored."

"I've heard that. I just wanted to see for myself." She smirked as she looked at me. "You're not what I expected. You are different than before. I've heard that when human/fae ...things are around their own kind that their fae traits are more pronounced. I can see that in you. With so many supes desperate for your affections, I thought that you would be...more than what you are." She touched my hair and dropped it as if it was filthy. She shook her head as she looked at me. "Not what I expected at all," she repeated.

"You're exactly what I expected." I stepped away from Eric and moved to the center of the floor.

Just as I spoke, Bill entered the room and he looked at me. Freyda followed my eyes. I gave Bill a faint smile and blew him a kiss. I mouthed the words 'I love you' to him.

She looked from me to Bill as if she'd just learned a secret. She laughed and clapped her hands. "You're fucking them both?"

He shook his head no; ignoring Freyda altogether. "Sookie, no!" he yelled. Bill started to come for me but he was attacked from behind. Without missing a beat, he continued to fight. Once his attacker was dead, they ran from the room to help Thalia with the two vamps she was fighting. The hallway was the apparent battleground for tonight. The only ones left in the room of the Shreveport vampires were me and Eric.

I looked at Freyda and continued. "I love Eric. My body is not meant for any other. But I would expect you to think that." I didn't trying to hide my hate for her. "From what I've learned about you tonight, I'm not surprised. I expect you to have no honor. I expected you to come here and do what you're doing. You made deals with Felipe, Victor, and Appius. You're a fraud and a liar." I chuckled and added, "You're also a loser …to a fae/human thing."

She dropped her fangs on me. "You're a human! I deserve respect! I'm a vampire queen!"

I was surprised by her audacity. I was amused at how quick she was to anger. I, on the other hand, remained calm. "What nerve you have. My husband is a king and you come to our territory and claim us hostage? You have abused him! Tortured him! You have brought war upon us and you speak of being a queen? You're anything but …you're nothing. You're an embarrassment to your crown. You're unworthy of the blood."

"How dare you!" she hissed.

"How dare I? How dare you." I continued insulting her. "You assumed that your Viking heritage would make him come to you willingly? It's no wonder Eric doesn't want you; you're beneath him. He'd sully his name if he married the likes of you."

I looked at Eric once more. His shoulders stooped as he said my name, "Sookie."

Freyda came at with her fangs down and her hands clawed.

"Come with me, Sookie," Claudine said.

The blackness took me away.


	36. Chapter 36

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: If it's Eric, I love you**

**Chapter 36**

**Thank you all so much for enjoying this story! The last chapter was ready a couple of weeks ago but I was too nervous to post it but I must say, you all have made me so glad that I didn't change it. This chapter may be a tear jerker. If you need your tissues, be sure to keep them handy. It is the day of her death and the day after. Her 'funeral' is also included. Pam's reaction to Sookie's death will be included as well.**

**This chapter will involve Eric's PoV when Sookie's taken. It will be told in the same manner as the last chapter. I hope that you enjoy it. Again, thank you so much for your time and appreciation of the story.**

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><p>Fury clouded my mind and took me to a level that I'd never entered when Sookie was attacked. I'd forgotten about the silver chains that were imprisoning me. Taking the slack pieces of silver into my hands, I wrapped the chains around the necks of the vampires that were holding me. As they tried to get the silver from their necks, I smashed their heads together until it looked as if I were applauding; bone fragments and brains were spraying me. Picking up the silver dagger that had earlier fallen at my feet, was now embedded deep into the heart of a third vampire. Sookie's eyes were wide with fear but they remained on my face. Her screams were all that I could hear as Freyda bit into her.<p>

When she lifted her face from Sookie's neck, Freyda had a look of pure ecstasy. "You're delicious," she said as she licked Sookie's blood from her lips. "I can't believe that Eric can control himself."

Just as the words left her foul mouth, I grabbed her by the back of her head and pounded it into the floor. I could hear the bones crushing with the first blow. Before I could thrust my fist through the back of her head, I was suddenly jerked back; taking a hand full of her hair with me. Because I was caught by surprise, I landed with a thud on my back. I was instantly covered with silver netting. It felt as if it weighed a ton. It was burning every part of my body; burning into my flesh. I fell back onto the floor and writhed in pain. I could see the agonizing pain on Sookie's face as the silver burned into me. My pain was hers.

Once they'd subdued me, Freyda felt it safe enough to approach me. Her crushed forehead brought a smile to my face. A sadistic smile consumed her face as she ran her fingers over the dent in her once flawless face. She laughed and shook her head at me as she walked my way. When she reached me, she stopped and looked down at me. She lifted her foot and showed me the heel of her shoe.

"Jimmy Choos; he is the king of the shoemakers. If I had thought about it, I would have worn my silver tipped heels but these are just as nice. Beautiful aren't they?" she asked. Before I knew what was happening, she'd buried the heel of her shoe into the open wound in my shoulder. Sookie's screams echoed throughout the room. Pain bounced freely through the bond.

When our pain subsided, I looked at Freyda and I told her, "You'd better kill me because I swear on all that I love, you will not live past tonight." When I looked at my lover, tears filled her eyes. Sookie's limp body was lying on the floor.

"You and your little faery are defiant ones, aren't you?" Snapping her fingers at her vampires, she said, "The silver wall." The vampires rolled the silver wall to where I was but Freyda stopped them. "Her; secure her to the wall." They looked from Sookie to the wall and then at the queen. They looked confused but didn't argue.

Their fangs dropped from the scent and the sight of Sookie's blood. The growls built inside of them as they lifted her from the floor.

"If either of you taste one drop of her," I said, "I will fucking end you both. She is mine." Though, I'm silvered, they take the threat in my voice seriously. They moved stiffly and slowly as they touched her as delicately as possible. They do their best not to let any of her blood touch them.

"Don't worry, Viking," Freyda said. "I'll kill them if they taste her. She's going to be mine."

I ignored her because Sookie's never going to belong to her. As I watched the vampires handling my wife, I realized that they were the same vampires that were in line when Sookie and I were first freed and granted the kingdoms of Felipe de Castro. They pledged their allegiance to us. Sookie was watching their faces just as I was. She remembered them.

"You were never true. I knew it when I looked in your eyes earlier tonight. I could see your deceit and your lies."

Before the vampire known as Whit could shackle Sookie's free wrist, she reached up and touched his face. When she touched him, Freyda turned to hear what Sookie had to say. "You're going to fall at the end of his sword." She nodded her head in my direction. "Eric will have his vengeance." That time she looked at me. "He will have his vengeance."

Whit was too afraid to do or say anything. He couldn't respond. Her eyes remained on him as he shackled her with the silver cuffs. He was doing his best to hurry and shackle her to the wall. He couldn't wait to get out of her sights.

Freyda turned back around to face me. "She has a lot of faith in you, Viking." She then twisted her heel inside my wound as she ranted. "You know that this did not have to happen. You only had to come to me. But no, you had to be difficult and cause all of this grief for nothing. I told Sophie Ann that I would have given anything for you but she couldn't let you go. She wanted to keep her precious Sheriff. I even begged Felipe but he wouldn't do it ...he only changed his mind after he met your human but it was too late then. I had already contacted your maker. The king and his regent didn't have to fall. You and your _queen_ didn't have to end up in this predicament. I wanted you but you couldn't let the human go. This is _your_ fault."

Freyda withdrew her heel from my shoulder and walked slowly to where Sookie stood ...helplessly, I watched.

I looked at Sookie and she shook her head. "You can't listen to what she says to you, Eric. Don't believe her. It's not your fault, baby. I love you." She kept reassuring me as Freyda walked towards her. Her eyes never left mine. "I love you."

My lover's screams were all that I heard.

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><p>My beloved …her blond hair was red and saturated with her blood. Her beautiful eyes were swollen and blue; bruised and bleeding. The bites, the stabs, the cuts; no matter the torment Freyda put her through, her spirit was never broken. I could feel it. I know that's the only thing that's keeping her alive. Her pain and devotion filled me. Her spirit was strong but she was falling weak. Her screams were now fading to almost nothing. Her voice was fading. Her head dropped to the right and fell forward. I heard her mumble over and over '<em>Eric<em>'. She kept calling my name but soon, she fell quiet ...too quiet.

"Sookie," I whispered.

She didn't move. With blurred vision, I strained my eyes to see if she was breathing. I couldn't tell if she was breathing.

"Sookie," I begged once more.

She lifted her head but her eyes were closed. The trace of a faint smile played across her lips. Though she couldn't see, she said, "Claudine, is that you? I knew that you would be an angel. You're so beautiful."

Claudine? Claudine is in the Summerlands. Niall; it had to be Niall.

I scanned the room to see if Niall was anywhere around. I didn't see him. I couldn't smell him. Where the fuck is he? He said that he's always watching her. If he can stop this, he needs to stop this. He has to know what's going on. He has always kept tabs on Sookie. He has given up a lot for Sookie and I know that there is no way that he would let this happen to her. Sookie's screams brought me back to the present.

Freyda stuck her long red nail into one of the stab wounds that she'd inflicted upon my wife. Freyda looked at me and smiled. "I think she's going a little nutty, Eric."

"I will kill you," I said to her.

Twisting her finger in Sookie's wound again, she said, "Ah, pooh. You're not mad, are you?"

Sookie screamed out once more.

Freyda nursed the blood from her finger when she withdrew it from the wound. "She is the best tasting human/fae I've ever had." She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "She's the only human/fae I've ever had." Licking Sookie's face, Freyda did a little dance. "Delicious," she said.

"Eric," Sookie moaned. "Where are you, baby? Help me, please." I could feel her life slowly draining away. I could feel her need for comfort. But I, the one that she calls her warrior and her protector, can't save her. I can't help her. I have never been as helpless as I am at this moment.

I screamed out in agony. How can I expect Niall to protect her when I, her husband, can't do it? I promised her that I would protect her. I promised her that nothing would happen to her. I swore that no one would ever hurt her again. How could I have let this happen? Why didn't we leave when the verdict was handed down? I should have done more to protect her. I've failed her. The agony was more than I could bear. The sounds of her calling to me and not being able to help her are killing me.

"I can't feel you, Eric," Sookie whimpered as her head fell forward. Barely able to lift her head and in a hoarse and barely audible voice she yelled out, "Eric! Where are you? I need you!"

Freyda watched her with amusement. "Does she not know where we are? Do you think the bonds broken?" She looked at me and threw her head back and was completely thrilled. She couldn't contain her joy. "What's wrong, Sookie?"

Sookie's head fell forward. "I'm so tired, Eric. I'll just close my eyes for a minute, okay? You'll wake me when we get home?"

"Stay awake, lover," I said to her. "Don't go to sleep. Please, stay awake. We'll be home soon." I knew that if she fell asleep, there was no waking her up.

Sookie began to cry louder. "Eric! Where are you? I can't feel you! I can't feel you anymore!" I reached through the bond and with all of the strength that I have left I send her the love and the goodness she's given to me. A faint smile spread across her lips. "I love you."

"Hold on, lover," I said.

"This is so much fun," Freyda said. "I heard that your little wifey told everyone that you were going to turn her tonight. That would have been a great wedding gift if you two were going to stay married ...and alive ...well alive and dead." Freyda pretended to walk away but stopped and turned around. "I'll make a deal with you, Eric. I'll let you live if you let me have her and you become my husband. She can be our pet; our telepathic pet. We can share her." She looked at me as if that was the most feasible plan.

"No," was the only answer to give.

Sookie suddenly looked in the hallway and smiled. Her hand looked as if she was reaching for someone but no one was there. She was talking to someone but there was no one that I could see. The smile was suddenly gone and Sookie began to cry.

"Eric," she whimpered.

Even with silver weighing heavily on me, I reached for her with the little strength that I had remaining. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. She squeezed her already closed eyes tighter and looked at me. She began to thrash around on the silver wall as if she was trying to get to me. She looked terrified. She was fighting and reaching for me. She was struggling against the silver cuffs causing more damage and breakage to her skin.

"Sookie," I yelled. "Sookie!"

She stopped thrashing about as she looked around. She lifted her head so that she could see through her bruised eyes. I could feel a small hit of relief when she saw me. She looked sad for me. She muttered that she was coming to save me. She said that she knew that I needed her. Her pain and suffering she ignored just so she could try and save me. Freyda's disgusting voice interrupted my thoughts.

"It's either the faery or you, Sheriff," she spat at me. "You promise yourself to me and let me have her, you'll both live." Freyda looked as Sookie. "I'll be a great maker. She'll heal rather quickly since she's had your blood and I'm almost as old as you are. You can't turn her now anyway. You're so full of silver, you'd kill her. If you would let me do, it would work out perfectly. Think of it, Eric. She will make us the most powerful couple to have ever existed." She looked at me again. "You only have to promise. Vow your everlasting loyalty to me and the faery will live."

Sookie was looking at me as if she expected me to make this promise.

"No."

Freyda stared at me. "Release her."

Sookie dropped her head and said, "Please."

A vampire appeared behind her and released the clamps from her wrists. Her limp body fell to the floor as she slid down the silver wall. As she struggled to stay upright, her breathing became labored and her shoulders slumped.

"Sookie is mine."

Freyda took the silver netting off of me as quickly and as crudely as possible. I screamed out as the silver took off most of my skin. Pieces of the silver netting stayed behind and broke off into parts of body. "Make the promise and you will both live. If not, you'll die and I'll keep her anyway."

In a flash, she broke the leg from a chair as she stood over me. "Stand him up."

When her goons had me on my knees, she pressed the stake firmly against my chest. "It's either the faery or you, sheriff. Decide now or you die."

With the stake aimed at my heart, I looked at Sookie and said to her, "I love you."

Sookie was doing her best to stand up by herself. With her eyes still on me, she shook her head no. She was mad and mumbling. Blood was slowly escaping her wounds. With her remaining strength, Sookie was standing; her former prison keeping her on her feet. She smiled and said thank you. She clutched her hand to her chest and reached out to me. She screamed. When she was done screaming, her body took its earlier place on the floor. The air in the room suddenly changed. The vampires that were standing close to Sookie were now standing by the door. Everything in the room stopped; even Freyda.

Freyda almost looked afraid. She threw the stake to one of her minions as she stepped closer to Sookie. She couldn't decide on whether or not to get any closer to her. So, she didn't move. She just watched. Sookie's arms were sprawled out at her sides. The strong heartbeat from earlier tonight was slowly fading into light thumps. She looked around the room with new eyes. They instantly fell upon me.

"Eric. Can you feel it baby? Isn't it beautiful? You said that you would never get to see the light again. Can you see it?" She looked at the ceiling and smiled. "Can you see it, baby? Isn't it beautiful?"

I searched the bond for her and she was almost gone. I begged her to hold on; to not give in. Over and over again I told her how much I love her and that I won't live without her. I told her that she couldn't let go. She placed her finger to her lips as if to tell me to be quiet.

When I did, she smiled and blew me a kiss. The bond was fading. I could feel the life leaving her. Her spirit was fading away and I was dying all over again. The voice that sent chills through me will soon be silenced. The laughter that made me feel alive again would no longer fill my office, our bedroom, my life. She'd no longer share her days with me. There would be no one to share my nights with. Her agony and surrender were not supposed to be! This was not supposed to happen!

"Stand him up," Freyda said to me just as she'd shaken herself from her reverie. Once I was upright, she asked again, "What are you going to do, king?"

"Fuck you," I said to her. "You may as well kill me."

I looked at Sookie one last time. I could feel that death was taking her. What reason do I have to live? I have no regrets and that is because of Sookie Stackhouse. Final death would not be a punishment. It would be my glory. I welcome it. I embrace it.

"Fine then; kill him," Freyda ordered.

"I PROMISE! I PROMISE! I PROMISE!" Sookie screamed at the top of her lungs; her head flailing back and forth and she lay on the floor. "Promise her Eric; if you love me, you will promise! Don't make me watch them kill you! I'll die. I'll just die without you! Please don't make me watch. Please! Whatever she wants let her have it. I can't be in this world without you. This life would be my prison. We can survive this. We can't let her break us. Please, don't let her win."

Dropping my head, I said, "Sookie, don't." My eyes were begging her to stay quiet. "Sookie, please."

"I will never forgive you if you don't promise. If you make me watch your death, I swear, I'll never forgive you. I will walk this world hating what you made me see. I'll blame you until the very day that I die. We can beat this, baby. We are Romeo and Juliette, remember?"

I closed my eyes and held my head down so that I didn't have to look at her. I reluctantly gave in to her wishes. "Okay, my lover. I will do as you ask."

Freyda laughed. "So it's true. Your pet rules you." She took the stake from the minion and crumbled it in her hands.

I ignored Freyda and looked at Sookie. She knew that she was dying and she had promised us to our enemy to keep me alive. She'd promised to be Freyda's child to save my life. She saved my life so that I could kill our enemy. She knew that Freyda wouldn't be able to turn her in time. Sookie wasn't going to make it. If she didn't make it, I would meet the sun tomorrow. There will be no comfort in this world for me.

Freyda left me standing with her underlings as she went to Sookie. "We are going to do great things, little one. You must be very powerful to have a Viking bend to your will; especially a Viking as old as Northman. I've always heard that you have him wrapped around your little finger. You will be very valuable in my kingdom. It's a shame that you waited so long to decide. I hope that your gift carries over when I turn you. I can only hope that you survive it."

Sookie looked past Freyda and at me. "I love you, Eric. I'm yours. If you want to be happy, you have to make sacrifices right?" She sent me a burst of love that almost knocked me over.

Freyda bent down to Sookie's level and laughed. She began telling Sookie how they were going to be so powerful together forever. "You will even learn to be grateful for what I'm about to do for you. You will be so happy with me, that you'll never want to leave my side. The Viking will still live but you'll be mine."

As I listened to her, I noticed that the two vamps that ran from Sookie earlier were pulled into the hallway. Before I had a chance to blink, Pam slid in behind me along with Mustapha and Stan. They cleanly and silently killed the vampires that were guarding me. Mustapha and Stan slinked along and took out the next two vampires. Pam pulled me back so that she couldn't be seen with me. She put her wrist to my mouth and fed me. She drank Tru Blood as I drank from her. When I'd taken enough blood from her, she fed me Tru Blood. After drinking my fill of Pam and three bottles of blood, I was still unable to stand on my own. There were pieces of silver that were still embedded within me. I couldn't make it to Freyda to stop her before she drained and fed Sookie her blood.

"Pam, kill her."

Pam didn't move. "I can't. I have to feed you." She placed her hand on my shoulder.

When I looked at her, she was looking at Sookie.

"Take this," she said abruptly; forcing another Tru Blood into my hand. "You're going to need it." We had to drink bottle after bottle. "More vampires have come. We've lost two of our own. Faeries have arrived to help us." Sookie's eyes landed on Pam and Pam said, "It's time."

Thalia and Indira came through the doors covered in blood and with swords in hand. Indira's eyes filled with tears when she looked at Sookie lying on the floor. Thalia only looked at her and bowed to her queen.

Freyda looked at the vampiresses and said, "What the fuck?" She looked around and noticed that she was alone.

Before she was able to move in Thalia and Indira's direction, Sookie grabbed Freyda by her hand and pulled herself up into the sitting position. "I wish that I could see you die."

After she spoke those words, Bill came into the room and she smiled at him. "I knew you'd come." At that second, Sookie mustered up enough energy as possible and pushed Freyda away from her and in Bill's direction. Sookie fell back and her eyes closed.

As Bill and Freyda fought, Niall and Dillon entered the room. The faeries ignored the fighting that was going on and they went to Sookie. They huddled around her; whispering in her ear. Her eyes never opened. Not even a flutter. Niall lifted her into his arms. He kissed and wiped the bloody hair from her face. He held her to his chest and rested his face against hers. Glittery tears fell from the elderly faery's eyes as he held onto his great-granddaughter.

"My dearest, Sookie," he whimpered. "The pain is yours to bear."

"And I bear it willingly," she whispered. "Thank you for coming for me. I don't want to die here. I want to go home."

Niall nuzzled her cheek and cried.

I heard her say the words that were never to pass her lips. It is not true and it will not be. She is not dying. Eternity hasn't begun for us yet. I try to say her name but no sound escapes my mouth. I can't speak. I'm unable to move. I reach out for her but she doesn't see me. With all that I have, I try to go to her but am too weak. The silver is not leaving my body quick enough.

"You must feed, Eric," Pam said in a weak voice as she stroked my head. "You must feed."

With Sookie in his arms, Niall stood up and looked in the direction of the door. "Eric, you must stay and fight until it is over to claim what is rightfully yours. We will wait for you in Bon Temps." Niall looked at Dillon and said, "After you are done here, bring the dark vampire with you. You will return later for the king."

Before Niall took her away, Sookie opened her eyes for just a brief moment and looked at me. Her hand went to her heart and she said, "I'll wait for you."

Before I could go to her, she and Niall were gone. I yelled out to her, "Wait for me, Sookie! Wait for me, lover!"

Freyda never saw them leave. She was enjoying her torture of Compton too much to even notice. Freyda was getting the best of Bill. She was five times his age and much stronger. Thalia and Indira were ready to help him but I stopped them. Even if Bill had to die, Freyda was going to be mine. Bill understood that. His fight and his determination never wavered. He gave as good as he got but she is his elder. When Bill reached in to grab her neck, Freyda got him. She had him when she snapped his arm and bit into his side. Blood was pouring from the gaping wound as he fell to the ground.

The last of the silver began to push itself from my legs and torso. As my strength rebuilt, Freyda did what she does best; mock and humiliate. "Did you think that trying to kill me would put you in my faery's good graces?" She pointed to where Sookie was no longer lying. "I'm doing you a favor by killing you. Can you not see that? Once I take her as my own, you'll never have to worry about the Viking fucking her again. She'll be mine and I'll keep him away from her so the only person he'll be fucking is me. You can die a happy vampire."

Bill looked in my direction and started to laugh. That surprised her more than anything. When she turned to look in my direction, I feigned weakness. Freyda said, "You laugh at the Viking?"

"No, I'm laughing at you because it's obvious that you don't understand what we have." He continued to laugh as I began to stand on my feet. Bill continued to keep Freyda's attentions. "Eric has never been a concern of mine. I envy his love for Sookie because she loves him in return. Eric and I unite when it comes to her safety. I never fathomed dying a happy vampire because they can no longer be together."

With the swiftness I'd seen him use many times, Bill used his legs to sweep her off of her feet. Freyda was suddenly on the ground and Bill was tossing a sword to me. "I will die a happy vampire knowing that you are finally dead."

She never saw me flying through the air with my sword in hand. She never saw me come into contact with her neck or feel the weight of my fist crashing through her breast plate. She was headless and heartless before her dead body turned into ash.

Dillon instantly appeared for Bill. "I will return," he said to me.

Suddenly, the doors of the room burst open, and many of Freyda's vampires were armed with swords. Many of them stood before me and my wife and pledged their loyalty. My vampires and Weres have drawn their swords and were ready to battle to the death. One vampire in particular was in my sights; Whit. Sookie told him that he would die at the end of my sword. In the blink of an eye, my sword was drawn and ready. I moved towards him and I swung my sword as gently and as smoothly as possible. With one smooth stroke, his arm was gone and his chest was now a gaping hole. One more swing, and Whit's head was no longer attached to his body.

Our vampires were in full force to avenge the attack on their king and queen. Vampires were meeting their final death in only seconds. Stan, Bart, and Russell were killing savagely; using their fangs to rip out throats; their hands to remove the innards of the vampires before killing them completely. Hearts were crushed. Skulls were smashed to oblivion. Bones were broken without effort. Bart's smile was one I'd seen on many vampires when they'd missed the act of killing. I watched Pam as she killed vampire after vampire. Her eyes remained on one vampire in particular; Pam was making her way to her. With the last thrust and swipe of her sword, Pam had her target cornered.

"You're the reason this happened." Pam forced the tip of the sword into the vampiress's throat. "She called Freyda as soon as the verdict was handed down. Jason called me and said that he knew who'd tipped Freyda off."

Jason? Jason Stackhouse?

"He said that after the verdict was given, she went to Freyda. Freyda was here the entire time. While you and Sookie were talking, she told Freyda that you were going to turn Sookie." To her target, Pam said, "You've brought harm to my queen. You've disrespected my maker and king. I will enjoy killing you."

Pam prepared to bring the sword down in a stabbing motion to the top of the vampiress's head but the voice of the Pythoness stopped her. She entered the room with Cindra and Gerry in tow. "Freyda is finally dead, I presume," the Pythoness asked.

When they'd cleared the doorway, I saw Sookie's uncle Dermot and he bowed to me with his cell phone in hand. He brought his fingers to his mouth in a 'shhh'ing' motion, and he was gone.

Jason.

"She is," I said. I searched the bond to feel for Sookie. She was fading. The bond was closing. "I must go," was all that I said to the Pythoness.

Pam stepped forward. "I am his second. I will address any questions that you have of me."

Gerry stood before the vampiress that's cowering on the floor and smiled down at her. "Well, what are you doing here? Winona, can believe what we are seeing? Cindra has betrayed the council."

Winona joined Gerry and the Pythoness as they stared down at the girl. "Yes she has. I never suspected that she was a spy." She smiled evilly. "You do know what we do to spies don't you, Cindra?"

Gerry laughed. "Of course she does. She has tortured many spies."

Winona sighed. "I wish that Freyda was still with us but Cindra will just have to do." Winona looked at Gerry with her fangs drawn and said, "We have the others that the guards are detaining. I guess they'll just have to do. We can stretch it out for a couple of years if we really put our minds to it."

Gerry agreed. "There's nothing like punishing a disobedient lawmaker. You can do whatever you want to them. Pam, you and the other's must join us. There is much fun to be had by all." Pam's and Winona's fangs clicked into place just as I left the room.

When I entered the hallway, Dillon was waiting for me. "Your queen awaits you."

I couldn't get to Bon Temps fast enough.

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><p>I held her until the sun was about to rise; long after she breathed her last breath, long after she said my name one last time. I cradled her in my arms until I could feel the sun calling me to rest. I wanted to take her with me to our bedroom but Dr. Ludwig said that she needed to take care of her wounds; to make her presentable for viewing. I kissed her sweet lips and brushed her hair from her face. When I placed her under the covers, she looked peaceful. After kissing her one last time, I stood by her bed and looked at her.<p>

"Eric," she said as her eyes flew open.

I woke up instantly when I heard her call my name. I thought that I could feel her. I could smell her all around me; our bed, her pillow, her nightshirt, my skin. The sense of her being around me was so strong. She had to be here. I went to the bathroom to see if she was taking her shower. I didn't hear the water running but checked to see anyway. After making sure that she wasn't in the bathroom, I sat on our bed and held her pillow to my face and inhaled as much of her scent as I could. I lied down and clutched her pillow to my chest. The silence was deafening. Pain pierced my heart.

"My lover," I said to the silent and dark bedroom.

Her cell phone was on the night table on her side of the bed. I held it in my hand and stared at it. When I opened it, she was smiling up at me. It was the picture that she'd taken of us the first night she'd moved in. I was standing behind her and she was leaned into me. She had on a t-shirt that said '_There's No Place like Home'_. She made me make a goofy face. Her big blue eyes were smiling and her mouth was opened because I'd made her laugh. I told her that if anyone found this picture, I was going to tell them that she drugged me and forced me to do pose like that against my will.

I wanted to hear her voice so badly that my body was aching. I placed her phone on the bed and reached behind me to get my own. I called her number and her voicemail picked up.

_'This is Sookie. If I didn't answer, I'll call you back. If it's Eric, I love you.'_

I replayed the greeting until I heard footsteps upstairs. I knew it! Carrying her phone with me, I was upstairs in an instant. The light in the kitchen was on. I could almost feel my heart pounding with excitement. It was a dream. I heard the microwave come on. She was home and cooking her something to eat! My lover's home; I knew that she wouldn't leave me.

"Sookie?" I said as I sailed into the kitchen.

The microwave dinged and Pam opened it to give me my blood. "It's only me, master."

Sookie's been gone for only a night but it feels like a lifetime. "I'm not hungry."

"You must feed," she said. Still thrusting the blood in my direction, she waited. She forced the blood in my hand and went into the living room. Before she entered, she stopped at the door and inhaled. She stepped to the side and let me enter. She stayed by the door. Her face was harder than normal. I tried to get a feel of her emotions but she had blocked the bond. I sat down as she began to speak.

"I dreamt of her. She made me promise to keep you and Bill out of the sun." Her voice had no inflection. "She said you both promised her last night and she said that she was going to hold you to that promise." Pam's body grew stiffer. "When did she say this to you?"

Astonished by what I'd learned, I couldn't think. How could Sookie see Pam this morning when she was taken from me last night? She died this morning. I held her until I had to let her go. "She said it last night."

"Well, I made a promise to her and it's a promise that I'll keep. You will not meet the sun." With her back to me, she said, "They are burying her remains tonight. Bill will call you when it's time." Pam's voice began to quiver. "Since I will not be there, give Jason my regards." She was gone before the door closed behind her.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I could see Sookie peeking into my office; looking as mischievous as ever. She would pace back and forth and wait for me to invite her in. I laughed as I remembered her doing that when she said that I was getting a little too agitated. After the third time of pacing back in forth in front of my office, I'd yell for her to come to me. She'd be wearing a Fangtasia t-shirt; she'd wrap her arms around my neck and pepper my face with millions of baby kisses. I tried to stay serious but it was hard to do.

"You see that I am working on area business here."

She would stand upright and wrap her little arms around herself and pout. "Since your business is so important, I'll come back later." She'd walk slowly from the room and would peek at me over her shoulder; her bottom lip poked out.

"I think that would be best," I'd say.

"I understand," she said in a baby voice just as she would walk around the corner. Not a second later, she would say, "Are you done?"

"Yes, lover," I would say. She would run to me and jump into my arms. She would kiss my neck and tell me over and over again that she loves me. I could feel her warm breath on my face. Tears began to fall from the corners of my eyes.

"I love you," I heard her say in my ear.

My eyes flew open but I was alone …alone with her scent… alone with her memories… hearing her voice or her laugh when I knew that she wasn't here. Is this my punishment for loving her? Without realizing it, I'd destroyed the living room. Everything that was, was no more than kindling. The walls were filled with holes. The doors were ripped from the hinges. I looked at my surroundings; destruction. That was the way it should be; chaos and destruction.

"It's time, Eric." Bill was standing at the door watching me. "You may want to get dressed before we go. I'll be on the porch."

It took me all of ten minutes to get dressed. When I went outside, Bill sneered at my attire. "You cannot wear that to her funeral, Eric." Jeans and the Fangtasia shirt that she sleeps in were fine.

"This is suitable," I said stiffly. "This is a mistake. My wife is not …dead." Bill said nothing. He only stared at me as if I'd lost my mind. I'm not crazy. I'm in my right frame of mind. Things will return to normal sooner than I expect. Bill motioned for me to walk with him to his car. "No. I'll meet you there." I take to the air and fly to Bon Temps.

When I landed in the driveway of the farmhouse, I couldn't take another step. The only light that was shining was the light that lit up the front porch. I saw her standing there in the doorway wearing a little white dress with the red flowers on it. Her hair falling over her shoulders; she smiled at me and beckoned for me to come to her. She sat on the porch swing and waited for me.

Using vampire speed, it took no time for me to stand on the porch but I was alone. She was no longer sitting on the swing. She wasn't standing in the doorway. I sat on the swing and rested my elbows on my knees and covered my weary eyes with my hands. In my mind, I kept hearing the words, _'she's dead'_. No matter how much I refuse to believe it, the voice wouldn't go away. "She's not gone," I said into the night air.

I felt a warm kiss and a head lean onto my shoulder. "I'd never leave you, baby. I'm always right here." When I glanced to the right of me, there she was. Her legs were crossed at the ankles and she was leaned on my shoulder.

I could smell her. I could feel her. I could almost taste her. I was scared to move and face her directly. I didn't want her to vanish again. I want her at home with me. "I miss you, Sookie."

She started to laugh. "I'm not going anywhere, baby. I'm right here."

I looked at her fully. I blinked for a long moment and then opened my eyes. She was still there. "You're not going to leave me?"

Squeezing my arm, she sat closer to me and shook her head, "Never."

"You weren't home when I woke up this evening."

"I know and I'm sorry." She grew quiet. Her warmth began to cool down. She stood up from the porch and let go of my arm. She kissed my cheek and walked down the stairs of the porch and began towards the backyard.

"Where are you going?" I said to her.

She kept walking and said to me, "I have to go."

"You can't go!" I yelled after her. "You said that you weren't leaving."

"Come on," she said. She started running through the woods behind her house. When I reached the cemetery, everyone was there waiting on me; everyone but Sookie. I looked from Jason and Bill and then from Bubba to Thalia. Niall stood by the pink and gold box. But Sookie was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd she go?" They all look confused. What's wrong with these vampires? These humans? She ran back here. They had to have seen her!

"Where did Sookie go? She ran back here. She said that she had to go and she ran back here." Anger was building inside of me.

Bubba stood off to the side humming. Alcide and some of pack members were there. Maxwell Lee, Thalia, and Indira were standing together not sure of what to say. Sam was off to the side by himself. Calvin and his wife, Tanya, looked on with sadness. Everyone looked at me as if I'd lost my mind.

"WHERE IS MY WIFE?"

Niall answered. "She's here, Eric." He had his resting on the box. "Do you want to ...?"

"Yes," I said cutting him off.

He opened the box and there she was. He rested his hand on the top of her head. "She's here."

Her eyes were closed.

"Sookie," I said. Her eyes didn't open. I traced my finger across her forehead. I kissed each bruise. I tried to smile and make myself believe that she was sleeping. "I love you."

Michele and Tanya sobbed loudly and uncontrollably. Bill; just as cool as ever, never made a sound but didn't try to hide his tears. I looked at each of them and I didn't want to believe them. They were all wrong.

I almost believed it for a second; that she was sleeping …then I touched her. It wasn't the same warmth that used to hold me. It wasn't her. Her warmth was gone. I closed my eyes and tried to feel her through the bond. I couldn't feel her. I leaned over her and inhaled. It was her scent. I reached and touched her blond hair. It was hers. I touched her face, her hands; it was her. I kissed her lips.

Jason yelled, "Why didn't you turn her? Why didn't you try to save her?!"

Do I tell him that I let them capture us? Do I tell him that I couldn't protect her? Do I tell him that she made me promise not to do it? I grabbed him by his shirt and bared my fangs at him. Before I could attack him, Bill stopped me. "Eric! No!"

I pushed Jason away from me and roared from anger and loss. I took to the sky and didn't go back.

I landed at our waterfall. I saw her treading the water and smiling up at me. I made a mistake and blinked. My lover was gone from me again. I dropped to me knees and finally let the pain go. When I couldn't cry any longer, I returned to our home. After getting her cell phone from the living room, I crawled into bed listening to my lover's voice. The last thing that I remember before the sun took me under was that sweet southern drawl.

_'This is Sookie. If I didn't answer, I'll call you back. If it's Eric, I love you.'_


	37. Chapter 37

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: Alone and Lonely**

**Chapter 37**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. As the previous chapter, this chapter will be based on Eric's PoV. You may need some tissues because of the sadness of the formally 'carefree' vampire. You all are the best. I appreciate the time that you give to me and my story. I've had a few requests to make the chapter lighter. It's not as bad as the previous one but it is kinda sad. But after chapter 38, I will lighten things up a bit and we'll be going to the land of Fae.**

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><p>For the past six months, I have been spending my nights in Bon Temps. Since the night her friends and family gathered around for Sookie's funeral, I have been more than determined to prove to them that she's not dead as they all say she is. She's not gone. My lover is somewhere waiting for me to save her. I know that to be true because she loves. Sookie would never leave me.<p>

She vowed her everlasting love to me. She has always stood by her word. She's never broken a promise to me. She's an honorable and truthful woman. She wouldn't do this to me. No matter how I've stressed this to Pam and Bill, they haven't given me the peace of mind and the time that I need to think things through. If they'd only give me what I've asked of them, I will be able to piece it all together. I know that she will come home to me. I know that she's waiting for me to bring her home. I've told them there are times when I can feel her. I've heard her calling my name. I can smell her on me. If she wasn't alive, it's not at all possible for me to feel these things.

Bill told me that I needed to stop spending so much time in Bon Temps. He said that I was wasting my time. I wanted to choke the fucking life out of him but I didn't. I understood his concern but I didn't need. I didn't want it.

"Speaking as a …friend; no we've never been friends …speaking as one that has loved her, it is not going to get any better waiting for her to return." He paused for a moment and added, "I know what it's like to wait for her and she doesn't come back. Existence is unbearable without her. I have to force myself to remember the promise that I made to her. You have to keep going. I know that in time, I will forget …unlike you. In the meantime, you have to keep your mind preoccupied. The kingdom duties that you have to attend to should take care of that," he said.

If I'd been human, he would've tried to glamor me. His eyes were piercing and they were filled with determination. In time he may forget all about her but I will not. I will not live my life pretending as if I never knew her.

"If you intend to keep your promise to her, you need to do all that you can to see it through. You can't sit and dwell upon what you cannot change. Now, may I sit?" He sat down without waiting for an answer and placed a briefcase on the desk. He opened it and placed two folders upon my desk before he began to speak. "I have the information that you requested for the territories. There are a few issues that we need to discuss as ..."

I didn't want to hear it. "They can wait," I said. The glare and the tone that I'd bestowed upon him at that moment was more than enough to let him know that the conversation was over.

He methodically placed the folders back into the case and closed it. He stood and bowed to me. "When you are ready, I will be waiting for your call." He left without looking back.

I knew what he was trying to do but I didn't want to hear it and I didn't need it. I didn't want it. I want to wallow alone in myself pity and pain. I just wanted to be left alone so that I could grieve in peace. They just wouldn't let me.

Pam and Bill have been concerned about me since the night of the funeral. Bill and the others told Pam of my reaction to seeing Sookie in the gold and pink box … the coffin. Pam is afraid that I've gone mad and '_will meet your end with my irrationalities_'; her exact words.

"Your problem is that you won't accept reality and the reality is that she's gone. You need to deal with that." She looked me square in my eyes and waited.

I know what she was waiting on. She wanted me to punish her. She wanted me to make her feel something. She wanted the pain of losing Sookie to be replaced with something else. That is something that I would not do. I know why she's doing it and I understand her concern. Though she'll never admit it, she loves me.

She never leaves me alone. She's usually watching me or either she has someone following me. I've pretended not to notice but Thalia is usually in the woods across from Sookie's farmhouse watching me. Maxwell Lee is usually standing out in the clearing of her woods, peering through the trees. Indira, she doesn't hide. She comes out of the woods and sits under the big oak tree and she watches. Pam sends the others because she won't return to Bon Temps. She says that it's because she has always hated that 'rinky dink' town.

"Too much dirt and dust," she'd say. "I've ruined at least ten pairs of heels on those rocky and crater filled roads. It's never really been worth the travel if you want to know the truth."

Another problem Pam has with me is that I've spent a total of two hours at Fangtasia since Sookie was taken. I stay long enough to make an appearance and then I leave. The vermin are of no use to me. They can't keep my mind off of Sookie. They only remind me of the stories I would tell her about them. They only remind me of the untold jokes. They only remind me of how much I miss and need her. They are of no use to me. Pam disagrees.

According to her, I need to put in more time. I disagree. I feel that they're satisfied if they get a quick glance of me; so that's what I give them. As long as they can see me glide through the bar and flash a little fang, I've done my duties for the night. And once I've made that quick appearance, the natives are no longer restless. After I've winked and glared at the slack jawed women and men, I always leave by the backdoor and I take to the skies. I go to Bon Temps and I wait. I sit on the porch swing and I wait. That's my nightly routine …I sit and I wait for her.

Tonight was no different. Since the night she appeared on the porch swing with me, every night at least an hour after first dark, I return with the hopes that she will be waiting for me to take her home. I usually sit on the swing until it's almost dawn. While I sit and wait, I usually hear walking and scurrying about in the house. I know that it's her uncle. He's used to me showing up. He normally leaves me a couple of bloods on the porch before I get there. Sometimes he'll leave a little something that belonged to Sookie. On my third visit, he left me a note and a gift.

_Northman,_

_I found these things in a box in the room that Sookie used to sleep in. She must have forgotten it when she moved out. I was thinking that these things will make it easier for you. I hope that the things in this box _will _make it easier for you. The handkerchief is one that she kept in her purse at all times. I believe that she would want you to have these items. Take care, Northman. She's always with you. Never despair, old friend, she is always with you._

_Dermot_

The handkerchief smelled of her tears. I always keep it in my pocket. The pictures; they are forever burned in my memory and in a little book by our bed. One was a picture of her as a little girl. Her hair was so blond that it was almost white. There was a daisy tucked behind her ear. She had the rosiest cherub cheeks to ever be placed on the face of a child. What stood out the most were those eyes; those big, beautiful, blue eyes. She was sitting on the front porch of the house that Jason lives in and she was eating strawberries. She was wearing a little white t-shirt and cut off shorts. The shirt used to be white. It was stained with strawberry juices and finger smudges. She was looking at the camera and smiling; those blue eyes twinkling and that smile was as bright as I'd ever seen it. I could see the joy and the life in her eyes. She had the look of a happy child. I can see that she has always had a good heart, a loving spirit and soul.

The second picture was of the woman that I fell in love with. She was lying on a towel in the front yard; dressed in a bikini and reading a book. She was waving at the person behind the camera and smiling. She was so beautiful. Every night before I go to rest, I look at those pictures. I go to sleep looking into her eyes and I wake up to those eyes.

The grumbling sounds of a motorcycle interrupted my thoughts and my waiting; Mustapha. With his helmet tucked under his arm, he walked slowly to the porch. His boot heels clicked along the newly paved driveway and up the stairs to the porch. He stood on the second stair and looked at me. He knew what I was doing. He looked at the empty spot beside me and looked away. The black satchel that was draped over his body was soon lying on the porch beside him as he took the top stair as his seat. He was facing the front yard as he inhaled the smells of the night. For a moment, we listened to the crickets, the owls, and the other sounds of the Louisiana night.

"Cool night," he finally said.

"Yes."

He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He cleared his throat before he spoke. "If you don't mind me saying so, she loves you." He looked down at the ground before he continued on. "She has a good heart; an old soul. My granny used to say a person that tries to find good in everything and everyone has an old soul." He began to chuckle. "I've seen many beautiful women in my time but she is different. She is beautiful inside _and _out but I don't think she realizes it."

I don't think he realized that he was speaking of her in the present tense but I didn't mind. I wanted it. I yearned for it.

He shook his head as he repeated his earlier statement. "She doesn't realize it. She is something. She is so funny but has the singing voice of rusted fence." He shook his head as he told me about the day they went to visit our new home. I heard him mention the Dixie Chicks and her smile and his voice faded from my mind.

While he talked, I looked out into the yard. I imagined her lying out there on a summer's day in a white bikini and sunbathing. I see her rubbing the suntan lotion over her body. She lays back on her towel and smiles up at the sun. She's relaxing and enjoying her day off from Merlotte's. I imagine that she's sunning and tanning because she's coming to see me at Fangtasia that very night. She knows how much I love to smell the sun on her skin and in her hair. I can almost feel her anticipating our time together.

The memories of her walking through the doors of Fangtasia are soon in my mind. Every vampire and man is envious of me because she is mine and she only has eyes for me. She looks at no one but me. They all fade from view. When she sits with me, the smell of the sun and coconuts are almost mind numbing. I can't get enough of her. Her small hand rests gently upon mine. When she touches me, I am complete for the rest of the night. She sits with me and tells me about her day. She asks me about my night; though it has just begun. I looked forward to those times. I miss the sharing. I miss the company. I miss the love. I miss Sookie. I don't like being alone.

I don't like not having feelings.

Memories; all I have are memories. I don't want the memories. I don't want to imagine what she would do. I want her. I want us to live as husband and wife. I want to hear her laughter fill the empty house and my empty soul. I want to feel her life pounding within me. I want to feel alive again.

"I miss her," I said into the night.

Mustapha stopped talking when I said that. "I know that Eric," he said. "That's why I'm here."

As he stood, he picked up his black satchel and walked upon the porch. He draped the satchel across his body leaned his backside against the railing and folded his arms over his chest. "I never understood the relationship that you two had until the day I took her to see that house. She is crazy about you. You and her vampires were her main concern as she walked through each room. Eric can't have this or Eric can't have that. Pam and Thalia will need this over here or Maxwell Lee and Indira will want that over there. She said that my Heidi was going to love the woods. She talked of making a lighted path through those woods ...for a vampire." He chuckled again as he thought of her. "She is different."

I think he finally realized what he'd been doing.

"She _was_ different. She even wanted to cook brunch with me and my wife. As I was driving her home, she'd planned an entire menu ...for a month. She kept telling me that she couldn't wait to meet my better half. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'm not with my wife anymore. I didn't want to bring her down. She was happy and it was because of you."

I waited.

He opened the satchel and took out a manila envelope. "The night of the trial she gave this to me to give to you. She wanted you to have it regardless of how the verdict turned out. She said that she knew that you would love this and no matter what happened, you were to get this. With all that has happened, it didn't seem all that important. I wanted to give it to you earlier but you …you haven't been yourself lately. I discussed it with Pam. She felt that it was best if I waited awhile to give it to you." Mustapha said, "She's worried for you."

I looked at him. "Tell me why you're here."

He nodded. "It's been awhile, so here ya go."

I slowly stood up from the swing and looked at the envelope that Mustapha was offering me. The script on the envelope was in her hand; _To My Darling Eric._ I wanted to take it but if I did, it meant that I was conceding to her death and I would not do that. I shoved my hands in my pockets and returned to my seat on the swing.

"I understand," Mustapha said. "I'll put it here." He placed it on the railing beside him. "You can take it with you when you go. There's no rush; open it when you get ready." He looked at me for a minute before leaving. "You'll be alright?"

"I am fine."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Yeah; you're fine. What I meant is that if you need anything, you have my number."

"I do," was my only reply. In a matter of seconds, Mustapha and his grumbling motorcycle were gone.

I sat on the porch and looked at the envelope. I didn't know what to do. I'd stand. I'd sit. I'd stand. I'd sit. I'd stand. I paced back and forth trying to decide on whether or not I should open it; if I should even touch it. I didn't know what to do. I sat back down and waited. The envelope was torture. I wanted to open it but I couldn't open it.

"If I open it, it means that you're not coming back. It means that you're gone; you're gone from me forever. I'm not ready for you to be gone." I looked up into the sky and said, "If you're gone …I can't keep that promise. I can only hope that you'd forgive me. This existence is just too much to bear. It's cruel to make me suffer so. I've always prided myself on my strength and my determination but in this, I am failing." My eyes went back to the porch railing.

I felt the porch swing shift and warmth came over me. I felt pressure on my shoulder and a gentle pressure encircle my arm. I held an unnecessary breath and closed my eyes as I waited to hear her voice.

"I'm never gone, baby."

I closed my eyes and let the bloody tears fall.

"I'm always with you. It has never been my intention to treat you cruelly. But you have to keep your promise. If you break your promise, you'll be gone. I won't know be able to find you. It'll be over. I won't be able to return to you."

Her voice, her sweet, beautiful voice; it was music to my ears. I didn't want to speak. I just wanted to enjoy her touch. We swung in silence for a few minutes. I kept my eyes closed and bathed myself in her scent. I could smell her. I could feel her …I could literally feel her inside of me. Her life was flowing through the bond. It felt just like before. She was with me. She was touching me. I could feel that she loves me. I looked to my right and there she was; as beautiful as I've ever seen her. Her hair was the color of spun gold. Her eyes were like sapphires. Her lips were full and pink. I smiled at her. For the first time in six months, I smiled.

"You have the most beautiful smile, Eric," she said as she looked up at me. "I've never seen a smile like yours." She continued to stare at me. I remembered that she looked at me in the same way the night that she …"And your eyes, I've never seen in anyone else's eyes what I see in yours."

I brushed my thumb across her face and she leaned into my hand. "You're so beautiful," I whispered.

"I could have curlers and no make-up and you'd say that I'm beautiful," she joked. She placed her head back onto my shoulder. "You can open it. If you open it, that doesn't mean that I'm leaving you. I'd never leave you. I'm yours …remember? Forever, I'm yours. I belong only to you." She held my hand and began to stroke it.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensations of Sookie. I didn't know if it was real or not but I didn't care. This time was mine. I never wanted it to end. My heart was aching. I looked at her feet and smiled. They were bare and they shone like gold. Everything about her was …was beyond beautiful. Sadness filled me at the thought of going home alone. Everything reminds me of her. I dropped my eyes to the porch and let the tears flow freely.

"I know what it means now; to be yours. It doesn't mean that I'm property. I'm a part of you …your heart, your soul, your love. I'm yours, baby."

"Oh, Sookie," I moaned.

"I can feel your sorrow, baby. I don't like to see you like this." Her 'voice' began to quiver. "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know that I would have to die." I felt a tear fall onto my hand. "I never wanted to leave you." Again and almost to herself, she said, "I didn't realize that I would have to die."

"I miss you, lover," I said. "Why did you leave me?"

"Oh baby," she said. Her warm fingertips lifted my face to hers. She leaned in and kissed me. She kissed and licked the tears from my face. She kissed my eyelids, the tip of my nose. She softly kissed my lips. "I'm always with you, baby. You'll feel me. You may not always see me but you'll feel me." She kissed me again before she returned her head to my shoulder. For the next few hours, I held her hand and I was home. We didn't need to talk. I was finally at peace. I sighed because I was finally at peace.

"Eric, baby," she said.

I looked down at her. "Yes, my lover."

"It's almost dawn."

I hesitated to move. It couldn't be. We had just sat down only seconds and now I have to go? "I want to be with you."

"You promised me," she said firmly; never removing her head from her shoulder. She repeated, "It's almost dawn."

"Don't go," I said.

"I'm never gone. I love you, Eric." She lifted her head from my shoulder and said, "Now, you go on."

I walked to the edge of the porch and stopped. I reached for the manila envelope before I walked down the stairs. I wanted to turn around to see if she was still there but I was afraid that she was gone. But when I turned around, her arms were wrapped around the white column and her head was rested against it. Her hair and white dress were blowing in the non-existent wind. I closed my eyes as her scent filled my nostrils.

When I looked at her once more, she was smiling at me and waving. "I love you," I said as I watched her.

"I know." I could feel her watching me. I could feel her inside me and I relished that moment.

"Eric," she called.

"Yes, my lover," I said as I turned to face her.

"You have the power," she said.

I shook my head and chuckled. I used to, I thought to myself. "I love you, Sookie."

I watched her as she returned to her seat on the swing. "I love you Eric. I'll be waiting. Remember baby, you have to power."

I watched her as she faded from view and the swing gently rocked back and forth. For the time being, I've decided to exist for another day.


	38. Chapter 38

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: I Wish I Was the Moon**

**Chapter 38**

**This chapter is going to go back and forth between Eric and Sookie. The song playing is '**_**I Wish I Was the Moon Tonight'**_**'. Each verse is going to be what the character is feeling at the moment. The chapter will start off with Eric and then Sookie. It's not going to be very long but I hope that you enjoy it just the same. This chapter will not be told in either character's PoV.**

**This will be the last sad chapter before the lovers are reunited. Hopefully by the time you reach the end of this chapter, you all will see a little light at the end of the tunnel. You guys are just so fantastic. Your reviews and your patience are more than I could ever expect. Thank you all so much. You're the absolute best. You make the journey to the end of this story so much easier. Thank you.**

**As stated in previous chapters, if I have forgotten to include the disclaimer, Ms. Charlaine Harris owns the characters. This goes for all previous and future chapters. I take no claim to any character that belongs to her. The brilliant and beautiful song used in this chapter belongs to Neko Case.**

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><p>The vampires had just left his office. Bill and Pam were more help than they realized. They've helped him through some tough times. It's been two years since she was taken from him and it feels like yesterday. Pam still remembers her but Bill seems to have forgotten all about her. It is more than obvious that he meant it when he said that in time he would forget.<p>

Once they were gone, Eric opened the door to his office and stood in the doorway and looked out into the crowded bar. The human faces were milling about; laughing and talking without a care in the world. He heard the voice of Lady McDeath come on the KDED radio station and the song that she played drowned out the mindless chatter of the humans. The singing lady's lyrics took him to a place he didn't want to go. He vowed to never go back there because he felt that he wouldn't be able to return. He tried to ignore the words of the singing lady but they tugged at his heart. They ate away at his non-existent soul.

**ooo**

**Chimney falls and lovers blaze**  
><strong>Thought that I was young<strong>  
><strong>Now I've freezing hands and bloodless veins<strong>  
><strong>As numb as I've become<strong>  
><strong>I'm so tired, I wish I was the moon tonight<strong>

**ooo**

He hung his head as her name echoed throughout his mind.

Sookie

She made him feel human again. She made him feel love. She gave him love. He didn't believe it was possible for a vampire to feel the feelings that she so willingly gave to him. She made him feel as if he was the young Viking; the young _human_ Viking from his past life. She gave him what he never expected to receive; love, companionship, and admiration. He knew love and companionship. He knew what it was like to be needed. He _wanted _to be needed …but only by Sookie. She gave him purpose and strength, life and love. She gave him everything and now he has nothing. Now she's gone. She'd taken the gifts she'd given him with her.

Not long ago, he'd dreamt that he'd forgotten who she was. She cried for him, begged for him to remember her. She tried telling him her name but she didn't know it. No matter how she tried, she couldn't speak her name. It was as if she couldn't remember who she was. She touched him and he removed her hands from his face. She begged him to remember who she was but instead he walked away from her …leaving her behind to cry. He awakened from his daytime rest with the image of her screaming for him. It scared him to think that he could have an existence without her in it. To him, it wasn't an option.

Sookie

He feels nothing anymore if he's not in Bon Temps. He's colder than he's ever been and not just physically. He didn't know that he was tired of being alone and lonely until he was. He didn't realize that his existence was bleak before she came into his life. This isn't the way his life is supposed to be.

He thought that he was living the life that all vampires and humans should aspire to live; should want to live. He was free to be. He was free to do whatever he wanted to do, fuck whomever he wanted to and feed from whomever he wanted to feed from. He wasn't supposed to be a husband …at least not to a human. He was supposed to be a carefree and happy vampire. He was supposed to be THE Eric Northman but he wasn't anymore. He's what he used to be … a shell, a walking and talking shell.

He didn't realize that he was a shell before Sookie. He didn't want to be a shell again. He didn't want to spend another night, another season or another year alone. The walking dreams are not enough anymore. She comes to him. She talks to him. She touches him. She loves him. She leaves him. In the beginning, they kept him going. He would tell Pam about them but she didn't believe him. She said that they are just dreams …but vampires don't dream.

He listened to the words of the sad song. The lady had the right idea. He wanted to be the moon. He wouldn't be so tired from waiting for something that was never going to happen. Not realizing that he was outside looking up at the moon, Eric wished that he _was_ the moon. Just for tonight.

Sookie

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><p><strong>ooo<strong>

**Last night I dreamt I've forgotten my name**  
><strong>'Cause I sold my soul<strong>  
><strong>But I woke just the same<strong>  
><strong>I'm so lonely, I wish I was the moon tonight<strong>

**ooo**

The blond man from her dreams

She was sitting by the Cliffs as a song began to play in her mind. A song she'd never heard but it suited her, what she was feeling. The waterfall was playing along with the song.

As she let her feet dangle in the water below, she thought of her dreams and the man that she wanted so desperately to know. She wanted to know why she was in love with him. She wanted to know how it was possible for her to be in love with a stranger. She wanted to know why she could feel him inside of her. It was as if he was made just for her. She knew that it couldn't have been possible. She didn't know him. She only knew him in her dreams.

In those dreams, they shared many memories. They shared their lives in her dreams but when she woke up, his name and their life together no longer existed. No matter how she tried, she couldn't hold onto those memories when she woke up. The only thing she remembered was his pain. He was always so sad and lonely. She wanted to ask her grandfather but she was afraid that he would think that she'd gone mad.

He'd wonder how she knew of the blond man. He would think that she'd been out past the royal gates. He'd have every reason to believe it too. The blond man doesn't live in Faery. This is the only realm he would be able to exist in. She's never ventured outside of Faery so how could she know him? How could she love a man that she's never met …she's never talked to or seen? He's occupied her every waking and sleeping moment. They were usually loving and happy moments but not the last one. It was scary.

She cried all of the next day. It caused her so much heartache. More pain than she could bear. Her bed was her only source of comfort.

She dreamt of him and he didn't know her. He's always known her. In every dream, he's known her. He was always begging her to come home but not that time. When he saw her, he looked at her as if she were no more than a stranger; a complete stranger. He turned his back to her when he saw her. No smile. No piercing stare. No feelings of love came from him. She could always feel that he loved her but not that time.

'Come back!' she yelled.

But he didn't come back. He continued to walk away. She ran to him and told him that she was back and that she was never going to leave him again. She apologized for leaving him. She begged his forgiveness and nothing. She got nothing from him. He only stared her and asked her if she was alright.

She put her hands on his face and said, "It's me, baby. It's …." She stopped midsentence. She couldn't remember who she was. She couldn't remember who he was but she knew that she'd do anything to be with him. She knew that she'd already done anything to be with him. She hadn't sacrificed their happiness just to lose him again. This couldn't be happening! It shouldn't be happening.

He gently took her hand from his face and kissed the palms. "I'm not what you're looking for," he said. He released them and he then faded away.

She cried day after day after day. Peace did not find her.

Sookie lied back on the ground and looked up at the moon. She thought of her family and the time that she spent at the Cliffs. She thought of the picnics and the parties. She thought of the faery dances and the weddings. She thought of her animals and how much she loved her home. She thought of how her fae kin always had smiles on their faces and love in their hearts. On the good days, the battles and wars were ignored. Those were the days that love was shared by all. There were no enemies on those days; only friends and family. She loved her family and her friends but she was lonely; lonely for the man in her dreams. Tears streamed over her face as she looked into sky and stared at the moon.

The eyes that held what no one else's could were dancing in her mind.

"The moon never gets lonely," she said to the little white bird that was perched upon her shoulder.

The bird nestled into her arm and chirped. She looked into his eyes and used her finger to stroke his head.

"I'm lonely, Eric," she said to the bird. "I can't stay here anymore. I want to be the moon. She gets to see so much and she hangs over everything. I wish that I was the moon; just for tonight."

She covered her face and cried, "Eric."

The bird nestled closer to her and continued to sing his song.

* * *

><p><strong>ooo<strong>

**God bless me I'm a free man**  
><strong>with no place free to go<strong>  
><strong>Paralyzed and collared tight<strong>  
><strong>No pills for what I fear<strong>  
><strong>this is crazy, I wish I was the moon tonight<strong>

**Ooo**

My wife

Eric went into the clearing of the woods and looked into the sky. He thought that he would be able to escape the lyrics of the song but the song seemed to be playing louder than before. Though it was nighttime, he could hear the birds singing along with the lonely lady. Her pain and sorrow were coming through each word that she sang.

With each word, his feelings were more than he could handle; more than he wanted to handle. It's been two years but the pain hasn't lessened. He thought of the many times when he was bound to no one but his child. Those were the times when he felt that he had no need for feelings, obligations, and ties. He was lucky to be carefree. He used to enjoy the fucking and feeding from whomever he wanted and whenever he wanted. That was what being a vampire was about; breaking the rules, doing what was never allowed as a human. Now ...he didn't want to go back to those days. He never imagined that he would ever have to go back to that. He knew that he couldn't go back.

My lover

It paralyzed him with fear to know that he may have to go through the rest of existence and possibly return to being the vampire that he used to be. Until he found her and brought her back home, there was nothing in this world that would make him feel better about what was happening to him. Finding her would be worth the pain. She was worth it all. He wouldn't let go of the pain that falling in love with her had set up for him. He was terrified that he would be stuck in this hell eternally; to never have love in his life again. He didn't want just any love; he wanted hers. He wanted to walk into his house and feel like he's home as he did when she was there.

My friend

He roared into the night air. He roared at the moon. He could feel her and it pained him. It didn't make sense that he feels as she did when she was with him on her dream visits as Pam calls them. She had to be alive. He could not feel her if she were gone. He wasn't supposed to have such intense feelings. He's not supposed to feel such longing, such need. He wasn't supposed to feel love. He was supposed to go back to his nature. Vampires are not supposed be like this. Tears feel from his eyes as looked up at the moon.

"Sookie," he cried into the night air.

The wind kissed his face and her scent was in the air.

"Eric," the wind called his name and wrapped him in her comfort.

* * *

><p><strong>ooo<strong>

**Chimney falls and lovers blaze**  
><strong>Thought that I was young<strong>  
><strong>Now I've freezing hands and bloodless veins<strong>  
><strong>As numb as I've become<strong>  
><strong>I'm so tired, I wish I was the moon tonight<strong>

**Ooo**

Eric_._

As Eric sang his nightly lullaby to her, she thought about the 'love' that she felt she'd lost. Was the love so intense that it had to end? Where was this man that she loves so much? Does he even exist? Maybe he doesn't. Maybe it was all in her mind. Loneliness is cruel.

If they were really in love then where is he? Why is he not with her? Why does it feel as if a part of her is missing? Why is it that he is the only one for her?

She thought of her many fae suitors. Many were extremely powerful, wealthy, and very handsome. They offered her more than she could have ever imagined. They offered her a life of comfort and happiness. She would have to worry for nothing. Whatever she wanted, they would provide …everything but love.

They never offered a life of love. They only call upon her because she is the granddaughter of the prince; the last prince of the fae. She knew deep down that the man in her dreams loved her for her. He wasn't like the others. He didn't have dreams of becoming a member of the royal family. He didn't care about who her grandfather was or what position he held; the man of her dreams. Sadly, he was no more than that; a dream.

"He's just a dream, isn't he?" she asked the blue eyed bird.

He chirped.

She smiled at the bird. "I don't feel alive at all. I feel nothing until I'm with him," she said to the moon.

Eric.

As she rolled over onto her side, Eric perched himself upon her shoulder. He continued to sing for her. Something inside of her filled with love. She looked up at the moon and he was there. She could see the man of her dreams. He could see her and at that very moment, she knew that he was meant for her. He reached for her. She only smiled at him. She let her hand glide gently over the warm water of the Cliffs. Her imagination was playing tricks on her but she didn't care. She got to see him. The rushing water from the Cliffs and Eric chirping a lullaby in her ear, almost make the numbness go away.

She stared at the man in the moon and she knew that he was the only one that could warm her freezing hands and lifeless soul. Her entire life's happiness was wrapped up in him. She knew that he knew every story, every wound and be it good or bad, he loved her. She knew that he would love her forever. She knows that when she meets the man of her dreams, she will no longer be as tired as she has been. She will no longer wish to be the moon. She will no longer be alone. She will walk his world eternally by his side.

Eric

The waterfall mist surrounded her and she heard the man in the moon whisper to her, "I'll wait for you."

With those four words, she knew that she'd always want to be his.

"I love you," she whispered to the man in the moon.

* * *

><p><strong>ooo<strong>

**How will you know if you found me at last?  
>'Cause I'll be the one<br>be the one,  
>be the one<br>with my heart in my lap**

**ooo**

The moon that he has longed to trade places with suddenly held her face. Love was flowing freely through his body. It was her. She was lying on the ground with a white bird perched upon her shoulder. She was dressed in a beautiful white gown. Her hair was lying beautifully against the grass. Her delicate fingers danced over the waters. She could see him. She was smiling at him. When he sees her staring down at him, he reaches for her.

"I'll wait for you," he whispered to her.

She gave him the simplest of smiles. Her eyes studied his face. He knew that she was his and he would find her. It's always been with him. He's the key to her coming home and when he figured it out, she would be there. She would come to him. She would know where to find him and he would be waiting. She was coming home.

"My lover is coming home."

Suddenly, the wind began to blow around him and whispered, "I love you." A golden aura was surrounding her and she was waiting for him. She'd wait for him.

For the first time ever, he clutched his hand to his unbeating heart. He knew that they would find each other. He knew that they were fated and they would spend eternity as one. He would spend the rest of his nights waiting for her return. No matter how long it took, he was going to wait for her. When she comes home, he is going to welcome her with open arms. She'll know it when she finds him. As the lady said the song, he'll be the one with his heart in his lap.

She looked into the moon at the man that was meant for her. When she meets him for the first time, she'll know that he's the one for her. She'll feel it just as she feels it now. He'll know that she's the one for him because she'll come to him with open arms. When they hold each other, they'll know that's where they belong. As Eric chirped to her, she'll be the one with her heart in her lap. She'll give it to him willingly. Everything that she is belongs to him.

"You're mine," he said Sookie.

"I'm yours," she said to the man in the moon. "Forever, I'm yours."

Until then, the lovers let the weariness and the pain keep hold. They'd wish to be the moon until they were where they should be; together.

**I'm so tired**  
><strong>I'm so tired<strong>  
><strong>and I wish I was the moon...<strong>

**I'm so tired**  
><strong>I'm so tired<strong>  
><strong>and I wish I was the moon tonight<strong>

* * *

><p>As his granddaughter relaxed by the Cliffs and looked at her husband in the moon, Niall had never felt such sadness. He'd enjoyed the days of her being in her true home but her sadness and loneliness were more than he could stand. He knew that she loved him and her kin but she loved the vampire more. He could feel her longing. He could feel her need for him. He wanted to tell her what she had to do to go to the one that she belongs with but he could not. The spell has to broken by the lovers. He never knew the intensity of their love for one another until the night she came to Faery.<p>

Her dreams were restless. Her tears were endless. Her heart was shattered. She cried out over and over again. She screamed when she felt his pain. She didn't sleep because of fear. Only she didn't know why; she didn't know the true reasons why. She had 'learned' of the death of her Gran and her cousin and their deaths were more than she could bear. She only knew that her tears were for her family. She didn't know that the tears were for the vampire that she loves so much. He did all that he could to ease her pain.

That's why he sent her to him in her '_dreams_'; to the porch swing in Bon Temps. That's why they could see each other in the moon. The dreams kept her from feeling lonely and sad. The dreams, the swing eased her loneliness and pain. He watched them time and time again and it never ceased to amaze him that a fae and a vampire would or could ever fall in love. Tears began to fall from his eyes. The old prince laughed at himself.

It has been a joy for him to have her with him. She made him laugh. She was the only one allowed to call him grandpa. He knew that he couldn't keep her there but that didn't mean that he didn't want to. Her stay there has done more for her people than she'll ever know. Forever, she'll live on in Faery long after she's gone. Being in Faery has made her more than she'd ever imagined she'd be. Forever she'll be young. Forever she'll be beautiful. He smiled as he watched her lift her face to the beautiful moon of Breena.

He watched her strip her body of her royal gown and dive into the water of the Cliffs. The water always made her happier and it washed away her pain. Niall cloaked himself as he moved closer to where she swam. His pain became almost unbearable as he watched her. He knew that when she returned to the earthly realm that he would be in her life for a very short time. He would then have to let her go. As he thought of letting her go, he heard her calling his name.

She looked around and says, "Grandpa." She looked around as she covered herself in her gown. "I know you're here. I can feel you."

Niall appeared with a grin on his face. "I wanted to be sure that you were safe. Why are you here alone? You're not supposed to wander off alone. You're my princess. You are to be guarded at all times." He knew that he needed to be sterner with her but she always brought the kindness out of him.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm not alone, grandpa. They're always around."

She pointed to the trees and into the enchanted forest and there they were. The silhouettes of her guards were hidden by the trees. She didn't mention the mind of the one that wasn't supposed to be there.

"They'll never let anything happen to me. They are of good character." Speaking to the unseen guards, Sookie said, "You can go away now. The prince is with me." The silhouettes vanished when Sookie dismissed them; all of them but one. When they were gone, she ran her fingers through her hair and it dried instantly. The thick blonde curls were as they were before she dove into the water.

"You've come into your powers rather quickly," Niall said to her. He was extremely proud of her. She'd been in Faery just three Breena moons shy of a month and she has learned her gifts quickly. Her telepathy is stronger. Her powers of one are magnificent. Her gift of life is extraordinary. "You are the most unique of our kind. You make me proud, my child."

She wasn't like the others. She has traits that were never known to be combined; her daemon trait is her telepathy, which makes her powers of the fae even stronger. When she was a part of the human world, she couldn't read the minds of the fae but here, she's extraordinary. The telepathic gift that Desmond bestowed upon her, interlaced with her fae genes and has made her stronger than anyone of their kind. The stronger she is, the more powerful her magic. She can cause great damage to her enemies. Another trait that has been exposed since she's been here is one of great power. She has the power of the elements; a trait only known to appear in daemons.

"Thank you." She looked around before she spoke again. "Walk with me, grandpa," she said. "We must talk."

She offered him her hand and away they went into the enchanted forest. He knew that she loved walking through the enchanted forest. The feel of the grass between her toes made her feel as if she were part of the earth. The animals that flocked around her were her pets and she loved them as such. They followed her whenever she would come into the forest. They watched her as she picked flowers and danced in the rain but tonight was different. Tonight she didn't stop and smell the flowers or pet the fawn that walked beside her. Niall knew what was on her mind; the vampire. The time was upon them.

"Tell me, what are you thinking," he said.

When they reached the clearing of the palace grounds, she said, "The dreams, grandpa. The man in my dreams; is he real or is he just a dream?"

"Does he feel real to you?"

She nodded. "He does. I can feel him _inside_ of me. I can feel his pain, his sadness, grandpa. I can feel that he misses me …he needs me and I don't understand how that is possible. It's like he's a part of me. I ...I don't know why, grandpa but I feel like I know him. Is he of our world?"

Niall gave a hearty laugh when he answered. "No, my darling; he is not." No vampire shall ever be a part of their world.

"Has ever been here?"

"He has not."

Sookie began to walk again before she spoke. "I want him to come to me. I want him to come to the palace. I want to meet him." She walked faster; thinking that if she sped up, she wouldn't have to hear her grandfather deny her request. When she looked behind her, Niall was still standing there; watching her. When she turned back around, he was in front of her.

"He can't come here. He will never come here." Niall said that with great certainty and conviction.

Her eyes had lost their earlier glow; their happiness. "Why can't he come here? Desmond comes here all of the time and he's not fae. He's daemon. They are our natural enemies but he is my friend. He is a friend of our family. If Desmond can come here, I want the man of my dreams to come here. Please. I don't know why but I feel that if I don't meet him, I'll die, as will my love. I think he's meant for me."

"He can't come here. Our people will be in danger. He wouldn't be able to control himself. I am sorry but that will not happen."

"You've never denied me, grandpa. Why now?"

"I am sorry but no. He will not be allowed in our home."

Sookie's brow furrowed as she thought of what her grandpa said. She was suddenly angry. "He's an enemy of my people? How can I love someone that has set out to destroy us? How can I love someone who hates what I am?"

"It's not his fault and dearest, if you dream of him as you say you do, he doesn't hate you. He can't help what he will do if he comes here. It's because of what he is."

"What is he?" she whispered.

"He's a vampire," Niall said.

Her eyes widened with fear. She knew the stories of the fae and the vampires. She remembers the stories that the fae children were told about them. They were told to never venture from their homeland without protection. Her powers of the element would provide her protection but the others would not be so lucky. She's never been out of Faery but she knew how to protect herself against the vampires. Her grandpa had always told her that it's safer for her in Fae and Fae is where she's always been.

When her great-uncle Dillon would go into the other realm, she would be jealous. She had plenty of chances to sneak out but she was always too afraid. The stories of the dangers that awaited her kept her close to home. She didn't understand how she could love a vampire; a creature that would drain her dry with one scent of her delicate blood.

"He's a vampire?"

"He is."

She thought about his eyes and his touch. She thought of them sitting on the porch swing. She thought about them being in love. Vampires and faeries can't fall in love with each other. Grandpa has always told her that the vampires would drain the fae. But not him; not her vampire; he would never try to drain her. In her dreams, he never tried tasting her blood. He was sweet and he liked to talk to her and he liked being with her.

"No," she said.

He can't be like other vampires. She could 'feel' that he was different. She didn't fear him. She didn't feel as if he would destroy her. No, he's not like that.

"He's different. He wouldn't hurt me." She shook her head no and repeated, "He wouldn't hurt me."

Niall stared lovingly at her. "You want to meet him?"

He eyes widened. "Really … I can meet him?" Though she felt that she knew him, it didn't mean that she did. "You will be with me? I won't have to do this alone."

Niall's heart was breaking. He gripped her shoulders and kissed her forehead. He hugged her and said, "I'll see what I can do and my dearest, I've never left you alone. I will keep you forever protected."

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him as tightly as she could. "Thank you, grandpa! Thank you so much." Her joy and loved pierced in him. His pain of losing her was stronger than before. He would soon lose her.

She stepped away from him and asked, "Why are you sad, grandpa?"

"I'm not, dearest one."

She hugged him again. "Don't fear for me. He will keep me safe. Thank you so much, grandpa. Thank you."

Niall stroked her head. "Anything for you, Sookie," he said. Glittery and sweet tears fell from the old prince's eyes. He kissed her head once more and said, "Now go and do your lessons and I will be along shortly."

She kissed Niall before she let him go. She took a step away from him and smiled. "I love you, grandpa." Blowing a kiss to her grandpa, she winked at him and as easily as the stars twinkle, she was gone.

"Dillon, Dermot," Niall said. His sons were soon with him. When they saw his face, they knew what it was. "Have you seen the witch?" he asked Dillon.

"Yes. She has been made ready."

"Bon Temps and the others; have they been taken care of?" Niall asked Dermot.

Since Dermot lived there, that was his territory. "Yes. As far as they know, they've never heard of her. The ones that mean her harm or had plans to use her, no longer know of her. Some only know of the name. It has become a common southern name only to those unaware of her. The supes will know that the Viking has lost his wife. This new 'human' will take her place. Jason is as oblivious as ever. As far as he knows, she's with her husband." Dermot's was just as sad as Niall. "She wants to return?"

"She wants to meet her husband."

Dillon looked at Niall and said, "Does she know what will happen when she is gone?"

"She does not." Sadness made Niall look older than his true age.

"Does she know what will happen if she goes back to Bon Temps?"

Niall shook his head. He couldn't change that. No one could change that. If she goes back, then it is meant to be. One can't escape their past. It is a part of her no matter what she does. If he had the mind to, he would keep her in Faery forever. Niall didn't want her to go back to the earthly realm. He wanted her to stay with him and her kin. He didn't want to lose another loved one.

His sons pitied him. Dermot placed his hand on Niall's shoulder. "You've done a wonderful thing, father. You saved her and in turn she's saved our people."

Niall knew that for her sake, he'd made the right choice but his heart was telling him something different. "I must take my leave. Keep watch over her." He looked in the direction of her room and closed his eyes. He could hear her humming the songs of summer. He could see her dancing around in her room. When he looked at his sons, he nodded and faded out of view.

It was time to go and see the vampire.


	39. Chapter 39

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: Many Reasons**

**Chapter 39**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You have been wonderful and loyal. I hope that I don't disappoint with this chapter. I am going with my own timeline here. I'm going to start with the first year Eric and Sookie met and use a different timeline than the book. If I used the timelines in the books, we'd still be in 2003.**

**The first part of the chapter will told in the narrative. You'll see why once you get to the end of the first part of the chapter. The second part of the letter will be in Eric's PoV.**

* * *

><p>"How dare you! I've been waiting for her to come back to me! It will be five years tomorrow, Niall and you take it upon yourself to come to me and ask me my true feelings for Sookie? You then say that it is of the utmost importance that you know what my true feelings are but you give no reason why. Am I correct in what I've heard you ask of me? If I am wrong, don't hesitate to say so." Eric asked as he paced back and forth; not bothering to hide his sarcastic tone.<p>

He never let his eyes leave sight of the faery. There are many years of mistrust between to the men. "I don't trust you, Niall. I never have. What causes me to wonder about you is your lack of consistency. You have called me. I return your calls and no reply. You have visited me and said that you would return when the time was more convenient. That was over a year and a half ago and now you come here, almost five years later, searching for an explanation on how I feel about my wife? You are one of great nerve."

Eric stood behind his desk and glared at the faery. As he sat down, he couldn't stop wondering why Niall was in his office. The two men stared at one another; not speaking, each wondering what was going on the other's mind.

Niall didn't speak. He only stared at Eric. He didn't want to release his only great granddaughter to Eric. So what if he protected her? So what if he was in love with her? It had nothing to do with Eric being a vampire. It had everything to do with Niall not wanting to let her go. She could have the perfect life in Faery. She would never want or need for anything. She is royalty. She is the true faery princess. There were many fae suitors that were willing to take care of her. They understood that she was not like the others but they couldn't give her what she wanted; love. She wanted a monogamous lover and they were willing to give that to her even though it was against their nature. But she wanted someone that was going to love her and not out of obligation. She knew that she could not get that from the male fae in the realm. She wanted the man in her dreams …the man that was sitting before him.

Niall stared at Eric. He knew that the vampire is her one true love. Niall wanted to convince her to stay in Faery but he loved her enough to let her go her own way. He wanted her to be happy and the vampire that was sitting before him was the one that she wanted.

Eric eyed the faery with disdain and suspicion. If he could have, Eric would have tried to glamor the arrogant son of a bitch to find out why Niall was truly in his office. He knew that Niall wasn't the least bit concerned with what he truly feels for Sookie. There was something more going on in that faery's head. He would have given anything to find out exactly what it was.

Niall's attitude was too nonchalant. The smirk that he tried not to hide was prominently on his face. Niall knew that he was going to get what he'd come for and he knew that he was angering the vampire. And he didn't care in the least. He needed what he needed and he wasn't leaving until he got it. He'd like to say that he was doing this for Sookie but deep down, he knew that it was for him and him alone.

Eric would have loved nothing more than to drain him. Eric has never made it a secret that he would take pleasure in killing Niall. He feels that the faery is far too powerful. He's always said that if given the chance, he'd kill him but he didn't …not tonight. He couldn't. All he could do was to try and understand why Niall was there.

The vampire and the faery sat in the office for hours staring at one another; not a word spoken between the two of them. Eric knew why Niall hadn't spoken. He was waiting for an answer to his earlier question. For a moment, Eric almost didn't answer him. He was a vampire king. He didn't feel that he owed Niall any type of explanations. He thought that his reasons for loving Sookie were really no concern of Niall's. What he feels for Sookie is between him and Sookie.

Anyone could look at the vampire and see that he wanted to tell Niall as much. He wanted to tell him to get the fuck out of his office and to never return. He owed his sworn enemy nothing; or so he thought. The longer he stared at Niall, the more he saw. He knew that he had no choice. He didn't understand why but Eric knew that he had to answer him. As he watched the faery, something inside of Eric told him that he _needed_ to answer Niall.

And so he did.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. She walked into my bar and I was instantly taken with her. That was the summer of 2001. She was dressed in the most delicate white dress. It was adorned in little red flowers. She was pleasing to the eye; the most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever had the pleasure of looking into, a sweet smile, an amazing body but she was so much more than something to look at." He chuckled as he thought of that night.

"When she introduced herself to me, I knew that she was different. She was confrontational, brave, polite, stubborn, and determined. She had an attitude that was somewhat irritating. She was exceptionally proud. When she first met me, she showed no fear. She greeted me and spoke to me without hesitation." As my memory traveled to that night, I remembered how she even cracked a joke at my expense. "I knew that I had to have her. With just that first meeting, she made me feel things that I hadn't felt in centuries."

Resting his elbows on his desk, Eric leaned forward and continued telling Niall his many reasons for loving Sookie. "I always felt that I _had_ to take care of her. In the beginning, if I'm being honest with myself, it was to protect her gift. But as time went on, I wanted to take care of _her_."

Niall more than understood Eric's meaning.

"She's never had anyone do that for her; other than her grandmother. She's always taken care of others and she always managed to neglect herself. When I would watch her from afar, I longed to hold her and take away all of her troubles. She's led a hard life but she doesn't let that stop her. She is strong-minded and unwavering in what she wants to do. She let's nothing stop her. She protects those that she loves ferociously. She lives life. She loves life. I think that she loved it more when we, the supernaturals, entered her life. We gave her purpose. We showed her that she wasn't strange or defective as the humans believed her to be. She is special.

"When she was given the chance to shine, she was no longer the same Sookie Stackhouse from her lonely Merlotte's days. She wasn't content with just being a barmaid but she believed that was the only life for her. Not because she's telepathic but because she didn't think that she deserved anything better. She was wrong. She is so much more. I like to think that I showed her that when she did the job in Dallas. I gave her the opportunities to see that she has more to offer than a stale beer in dead end bar."

Niall nodded in accord with what he was saying. Finally speaking, he said, "She had very little confidence in herself. The humans in Bon Temps made her believe that she would be no more than a barmaid. They did their best to destroy and break her. If she had stayed there any longer, I fear that they would have succeeded." Hesitantly, Niall added, "I too fear that if not for you, she would still be a barmaid in Merlotte's and possibly with that dead end Bill Compton. She would have been content with that existence, I fear. She didn't believe that she deserved better."

Eric banged his fist on his desk. "Precisely," he exclaimed. "She is the loveliest individual I've ever had the joy of knowing. When I had to go to rest at dawn, it aggrieved me. I want to be with her for every second of her life. For the first time ever in my existence, she made me miss the sun. I have imagined myself spending my days with her. When she became mine, it was agonizing to know that there were many things that we would never share as one. I would never get to see the sunlight in her hair or see her running through a field of daisies. I would never be able to watch her sunbath on a beautiful summer morning. The most hurtful part is that I cannot give her the family she so desires."

Eric could feel Niall's absolute attention on him as he poured out his heart to the faery. When Eric looked at him, he did not see amusement or the faintest trace of a smile. What he surprisingly saw in Niall's eyes, was understanding. Eric continued to freely tell the faery of his love for Sookie.

"As much as she wants a family, she doesn't care that I can't give that to her. She loves me and those things that I can't give her or ever do with her, don't matter. In that way, she challenges me and I love her for it. She said that the sun and a family are not what she's chosen. She said that she chooses me. She told me that I needed to deal with that and get over it. Those are my only choices. She'd made her choice. She always challenges me." When he was done, Eric looked at Niall and asked his own question. "I've answered your question and I ask for the same respect. Why do you concern yourself with my feelings for Sookie? Why is it important to you?"

Niall answered simply, "Because she's …she was important to me. We, you and I, have never seen eye to eye when it comes to my great granddaughter but I have known for quite some time that you love her. I remember a visit that I had with her. It was during the holiday called Christmas. It wasn't too long after you'd regained your memories. She was alone. She missed you. I would keep her company and do things to keep her mind off of her loneliness. It worked for awhile. She dated others but they weren't for her. She longed for you. Claudine was watching her from her woods the night that you left and she spoke of Sookie's pain.

"When you had awakened for the night, she knew that you were different. She could feel it. After all, you two were bonded."

Eric remembered feeling an uneasiness that filled him. He remembered asking her if she was alright. He remembered that she had the saddest look on her face. It was for him.

"She wanted to kiss you when she placed your blood in front of you. She wanted to run her fingers through your hair but she stopped herself. She wanted to love you as she did when you belonged to her during that time but she couldn't. You wouldn't understand why she was feeling the way that she was feeling and she couldn't bear that rejection. Claudine said that when she left for work that night, you asked her if she was okay. You could feel her pain; only you didn't know why. She said that you were torn when you left that night. She changed you with that first meeting and those four forgotten nights that you'd spent with her.

"I say this vampire because I, too, feel pain. I've known her for a very short period of time and I ache for her; the voice, the laughter, the smile. The easy way she loves you regardless of what you are or what you've done. It's hard to have loved something so pure of heart and have it taken away. On several occasions, I have wished that I had never known her. I believed that if I had never tried to find her, it would be for the better; for her sake as well as my own. I made myself believe that not knowing her would have been an easier fate than losing her." The faery then did something Eric never expected; he snorted. "I then realized that would have been an excruciating punishment; to never have known her or to have been loved by her. She makes you feel as if you're the most important being to have ever been in her presence. I have to say, I am grateful and it's worth the pain of losing her. Vampire, in this we are alike. Our grief makes us equals."

As Niall stood to leave, Eric began to contemplate the reason for the visit. His thoughts were written all over his face. He wondered, is that why Niall came to Fangtasia …to find out if he was still grieving over his wife? So that two enemies can share the pain of losing the woman that they both love? Eric didn't believe this show of truce in the least. He knew that something was wrong. He hasn't walked this world for over a thousand years by being gullible. The mistrust appeared once again. This was not like Niall to care for what he was going through or for his feelings. Niall has never cared for anyone but himself.

"Your cause, your only cause for coming here to meet with me is to discuss my loneliness and my love for my wife?" Eric followed suit; he stood up as well. "I don't believe this, faery. What are you up to?"

When the faery's eyes captured Eric's, he wanted to see a hidden agenda. Eric wanted Niall's sneakiness to be a valid reason kill him right there on the spot but the look in Niall's eyes told Eric that Niall was grieving for her as well.

"I have no tricks. I am playing no games, vampire. I just wanted you to know that I understand." Quickly composing himself, Niall said, "You have the power. You've always had it. Just as you told me the night of the Faery War, she is your woman and yours alone. When you realize what you have and what you can do, your greatest desire will be before you. You need only ask. It's been with you the entire time."

The faery walked over to Eric and offered his hand in greeting. Eric didn't know whether to take it or not. Niall has never been as understanding as he appears to be. Slowly and cautiously, Eric took his hand. The touch of Niall's hand cleared Eric's mind of all confusion and the memory of Niall's visit. For the first time in a long time, Eric was suddenly at peace.

"With this, I must say good-bye. You have given me great favor for the love and protection that you've given my great-granddaughter. When the time comes, you will see me again, old friend. I wish you well." Niall took his hand from Eric and took a step back.

The prince then watched the vampire king as he stood at his desk, going through his papers. Niall knew that he had nothing to fear when it came to his great-granddaughter's safety. With the realization settling in that his time with Sookie has come to an end, Niall left the vampire's office.

When Niall was gone, Eric looked around his office, trying to figure out where the scent of fae came from. Did Niall return for a visit and he missed him? Niall's popping in and out and not making it known was going to have to stop. Eric returned to his desk to finish the last of tonight's business. While he was doing so, Eric picked up the manila envelope that was resting underneath the picture of his wife. He smiled as he thought of Sookie's wedding gift. She has always been full of surprises. Eric tucked the precious gift underneath his arm as he prepared to leave for the night. He'll finally see the gift she left for him.

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><p>Upon going into my home, I went into my office and sat at my desk. There were messages and emails that I had to reply to but they would have to wait. I've put off opening her gift for too long. Without allowing myself a chance to give pause, I opened the envelope.<p>

Before I could remove the contents, Pam was standing at my office door. "Good evening, Eric. The construction crew is gone and the work is completed. Your new deck is magnificent. I must say, if this bar thing doesn't work out, I think that a career in construction; excuse me, overseeing construction is in the cards for me. What do you think?" As always Pam was willingly took charge but only so could get out of her duties at Fangtasia.

"I think that you would do a fine job but you do realize heels will be out of the question?"

She unnecessarily sighed. "True. I guess that's another dream that I'll have to put off until another time. Oh, well. If you need nothing else of me, I will take my leave."

When I looked at Pam, Sookie was smiling at me. On the wall there are pictures of us on our wedding night. Indira snapped pictures just before the battle ensued. We were dancing and enjoying our victory. No one would ever guess that we were soon fighting for our lives. Only I remain of the two in that picture. I've waited and waited and she still hasn't come.

With my voice devoid of all emotion and feeling, I said, "Tomorrow it will be five years. For five years, I've been waiting for her return and yet, I'm still alone." I looked at Pam; hoping for some type of encouragement. Hoping that she would tell me that there's still time but she didn't. My child stayed true to form.

Pam didn't turn around to look at the picture. Pam looked straight ahead. She made sure that she didn't glance in the direction of any of Sookie's pictures. She hasn't spoken Sookie's name since the wedding night. She still hasn't gone to Bon Temps. When Jason came into Fangtasia a few months ago, she went into her office. She would not come out until he was gone. She grieves in her own way.

"If you need nothing else of me, I will take my leave." When she spoke, the hint of playfulness from earlier was gone.

Any other time, I would have taken her ignoring me as a sign of disrespect but I did not. I knew that she was hurting and missing her 'telepathic friend'. "Goodnight, Pam," I said.

Just as quickly as she entered my office, she was gone.

I traced my fingers over the familiar script on the envelope. As I emptied the contents of the envelope onto my desk, three sheets of paper appeared before me. There were three pieces of parchment paper and the script was old Nordic, the language of my homeland. It was something that I'd never expected to ever see again.

The pages were worn but the script was legible. It had been restored and kept in excellent condition. Plastic laminate protected the fragile documents from further damage. I couldn't believe what I was holding in my hands. The paper was of my father's and my mother's history. Gudmund and Agda Håkansson; it was the first time I'd seen my parents names in over a thousand years. As I continued to read, my parents, parents' names were listed on the tree; their brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles and their children. My name, Eirik, Ansgar, Stellan, and Harald; they were my brothers. The names of my deceased siblings were listed as well.

The second paper was of my family; Eirikr and Aude Håkansson. My children's names were listed; their dates of birth and death; as well as Aude's. The date of my birth and the date of my death are prominently listed by my name. The name of my wife's second husband, my brother Stellan, was listed. My children had children and their children had children. My father's name lives on. I have great-great-great-great-grandchildren.

As I read over my family history, I thought about the night I told her of my human life. She asked me questions about them and sadly, I could only vaguely remember them. It bothered her but I never knew that she would go to such lengths for me; my dearest Sookie. I knew right then that I will never love again.

Unwilling to put my family history down, I started reading the third paper. It was the most priceless of them all. It was a letter from my wife.

**Eric,**

**I knew that if anyone would make sure that you got this, it would be Mustapha. My original plan was for you to only get the gifts but if you're reading this letter, it means that they've won and we've been separated. It means that no matter what they try to do to us, they'll never win. It also means I was never given the chance to prove to you just how much I truly love you. I wanted to be the one to give this to you. I wanted so much to see the look on your face. I wanted you to know that I love you.**

**And look baby, no matter what happens, don't beat yourself up thinking that you failed me. You did not. You've never done anything but love me. Isn't it funny how time changes things? You once told me that vampires can't love but once again, I proved you wrong. You can't help but love a charming and wonderful woman like me. I am amazing. I am so smart and I have the greatest sense of humor but I digress. Since you are aware of my magnificence, let me tell you another thing that you were wrong about. A long while ago, you said that you weren't sure if what we have is true love. You said it was close to being true love. Well, I'm sure it is true love.**

**You have shown me what love is and what it feels like to be loved. I can feel it in your kisses. I can feel it in your touch. When you look at me, I can feel your love; your protection, everything. Everything I am is because of you. With the stuff that's happened to me, I shouldn't be here. But I am and it's because of you. I live because of you; because you love me. You make me want to be a better person and I can't thank you enough for it. It's almost time for the trial so I can't write much longer but I'm here, in this life with you. This is where we belong.**

**Whenever my heartbeats, it's beating for you; we're one. We're one soul. We're one heart. What you've given me, I never expected it. With you, I know what it's like be truly happy. I want you to know what you mean to me. This gift I've given to you is nothing compared to what you've given me. You are my world and I love you with all of my heart and soul. You are my happiness. When you read this, don't cry because I'm not gone. They've only won my body. You have my heart and soul.**

**With everything that I am,**

**I love you.**

**Sookie Northman.**

I read the letter over and over until I could feel the sun beginning to rise. After carefully placing the documents into the envelope, I carried them to the safe. When I opened it, there it was; the precious jewel that her grandmother left for her. A magic charm, she said. She said that if you give it to the person that you truly love and they make a wish, it will come true. I stared at it for awhile before deciding to take it with me. I placed my wedding gifts in the safe and went to my bed chambers.

When I went to rest, I was still gripping the jewel; refusing to let it go. I reread her letter in my mind over and over again. I tried thinking of the letter in different terms. I looked and looked for hidden clues. The letter told me what I never wanted to believe. She's gone and she's never coming back; my queen, my lover, my wife, and my friend.

Pain filled me as I wished and wished that it wasn't true. We were supposed to be together eternally. Forever was promised to us. We promised each other. As the sun began to take me under, I was determined to believe that she would return and we would have forever. I closed my eyes and I saw her beautiful smile. Hoping that it could truly give you anything that your heart desires, I held onto that jewel. My only desire is for Sookie to come back to me.

My lover's coming home.

She promised.

She's coming home.


	40. Chapter 40

**I Remember You**

**Flashback: I'm Coming Home**

**Chapter 40**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I hope that you all enjoy the final chapter from the past. I hope that it was pleasant journey. After this chapter, we're going back to the future to see if she's going to remember. I appreciate you all so much that I worked extra hard to get this chapter up and ready for you. You all the best and I appreciate you so much.**

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><p>The wind from the Cliffs was blowing Sookie's hair in every direction. The royal dress of the fae princess was blowing around her legs; remaining demurely in place. The cool air didn't affect the warmth that flowed within her or around her. The warmth was that of the vampire; <em>her<em> vampire. The vampire came to her in her dreams. He was begging for her return; telling her over and over again that she promised to never leave him. He kept telling her that he was lonely for her. He reached for her hand and she reached for his in return but their fingertips barely touched.

As she stood in the wind, she could hear his pleading ... his crying woefully in her ears. His feelings of love for her were like nothing she'd ever felt in her life. The more she thought of him and his pain, the harder the wind would blow. There was but one thing to do.

"Good job," Dillon said to her. "The prince said that you were getting stronger but I didn't realize that you were _this_ strong. Now bring it down some; it's blowing too hard." He could barely stand on his feet but she hadn't moved an inch.

She watched as he used his magic to stay rooted to the ground. She looked at her uncle Dillon and thought to herself that she would miss him the least. She didn't trust him but she kept her true feelings to herself. They would be known soon enough. In time, he would be seen for what he truly is.

When she turned away from her uncle and looked in the direction of Green Haven, she could hear her children. The children she'd taught of love and honor. The children with special gifts that she'd taught them to use; to keep secret until the time came. The laughter of the faery children that she loves so much, danced in her heart. She'd always told them that happiness and love are the most important things. Their laughter and smiles helped her to make her final decision.

"I can't stay here," she said as the wind stopped instantly.

The wind had ceased but her vampire's pain had not.

"I have to go to him. In his dreams, he says that he needs release of his agony; of this cruelty that I have placed upon him. If I don't go, he'll surely … I can't stay here. If something happens to him… I cannot bear to see him face a life of loneliness."

She couldn't let those words pass her lips. She hasn't had a chance to meet him. He can't go away. He's the one. If he …if he meets the sun, she knew that her chances of ever being loved were over.

"I cannot stay here any longer."

Dillon looked at his great-niece with extraordinary wonder and love. She is what every male fae dreams of. She's beautiful, powerful, unselfish, and loving. And love in Faery is a rarity. She gives it so freely and never expects anything but love in return. What she has given to their world is priceless and he never wants to let it go. He didn't think that the vampire was worthy of such a creature. He begged his father to let him have her.

She doesn't know the way of the humans anymore. She's outgrown that world. She's not like them anymore. She doesn't cringe at the idea of being naked in front of others. She understands the way of the supernatural world when it comes to making love. They could be so much more if Niall would only let him have her. They were both of the royal blood and the Brigant bloodline would be stronger than ever. Her gifts coupled with the fact that he's more fae than she is would make their bloodline stronger than it has ever been. But Niall warned him that she was to be touched by no one unless it was of her doing. She never let any male fae touch her; no one but Niall.

"The punishment will be death," Niall said, without as much as a pause. "That goes for all male fae; including my sons." Dillon knew that Niall meant each and every word.

When the many suitors approached Niall and asked for his permission to court her, he granted it; knowing that they would never stand a chance. He was hoping that she would make the choice to stay in Faery but her choice has always been to be with the man of her dreams; a fucking vampire.

"I must go," she said with finality in her voice.

She turned her face to the skies. She heard his thoughts but ignored him. He wasn't worth the anger or the energy. He's thinking nothing she hadn't already known or heard before.

"My place is no longer in Faery. My place is with him. I am to be by his side. I am his and he is mine. I can feel his longing for me. And I fear that I can live no longer without him."

In a flash, Dillon was standing by her side and then down on his knees. He took her hand into his and said, "If you stay, I can and will take care of you. I can love you and we can make our homeland great. Our children would be most powerful. If you would give me the chance to show you, I know that you can find what you are looking for here; with your own kind, with me."

She only looked down at him and pity filled her. Sex is sex in Faery. Cousins, uncles, nieces, nephews; they procreate all of the time. It keeps the bloodline strong and long. There was an advantage to producing with her though; her powers were more than any fae has ever known. She knew that Dillon was sincere in his offer but he was family. It may have been fine and well for the others to live in this manner but it was not for her no matter how long she's been here. So what if the others in Faery gave themselves away freely? She was not. Sookie wanted the man in her dreams and that's who she was saving herself for.

"Your sincerity is pleasing but I cannot give you what you seek. I am meant for him."

She helped Dillon up before looking into the clouds. The vibrations of his pain passed through her. She could feel that Dillon was not going to give up. So she did what she had to. She placed a barrier around her. When he tried to touch her again, his hands were forced back to his side. He was unable to move even a finger.

He looked at her as if he couldn't believe that she'd shielded herself from him. "Why?" he asked. "I mean you no harm."

"I will drop the barrier when you respect my wishes." She spoke quietly but she knew that Dillon heard her. She didn't have to speak loudly for him to hear the danger in her voice.

"Forgive me," he said instantly. "I only want to love you."

She looked at him and gave him a faint smile. He doesn't know what love is. Sookie didn't think that Dillon was capable of loving anyone but himself. He has never had a beautiful aura and he never will.

She turned back to the clouds and said, "Has Niall returned?"

"Yes," he said.

With that said, she was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8<strong>

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><p>After soaking in the warmest fae water for what felt like a full Breena moon, Sookie stepped from the tub. With the wave her hands, her body and her hair were completely dry. Her hair was thicker and longer with each passing day. When she would trim the ends of her hair, it would grow an extra inch. Her body was fuller than before. Her weapons training kept her physically fit and appealing to every male fae she met. The use of the lotions from the night blooming jasmine, made her skin even more beautiful. She just hoped that the vampire would be pleased with what she has to offer him.<p>

When she came from the bathroom, her uncle was sitting on her bed.

In all of her naked glory, she greeted him good day and went into her closet. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked him. She pulled up her shields as not to feel his pain.

"I hear that you are set to go," Dermot said. "Dillon has announced that you are leaving."

"Yes," she said. She wouldn't look at him directly because of the sadness rolling off of him.

Sookie dressed in her royal gown of yellow. It was her favorite because it made her tan even more prominent. It was the dress that was going to present herself in to her vampire. She knew that he loved her tanned skin and the smell of the sun as it bathed over her. He loved the smell of the sun in her hair. She could see it in his dreams. She wanted to please him. She wanted more than anything to please him. He was worthy and she wanted to show him.

Nervously, without looking, she asked Dermot, "Do you think he'll want me? Will he be pleased with what I have to offer him?"

Dermot was doing his best to stay strong and show her that he was happy for her. He wanted nothing more than to be happy for her but she was his only friend. She was all that he had. Niall let him return to the realm because of her and vowed to Sookie that he would do nothing to harm Dermot and he would always have a home in Faery.

Because of Sookie, he was to be treated just as everyone else or they would have to suffer the same fate that they wished upon him. It was put into law and Sookie made sure that the law was followed. Dermot knew that Sookie's love was the only reason Niall forgave him and for Sookie, Niall would do anything. He's more than proven that. Everyone in Faery knew that. Giving the last living faery princess to a vampire …what better way of showing that his love for her outweighs the love that he has for his children ...for his own kind?

Dermot knew that her time in Faery was coming to an end anyway but he didn't realize that it would be so soon. She'd done her job. She'd given the realm the strength that it needed. She had given them more than they could ever expect. Love, forgiveness, empathy, kindness; no one had ever heard of such in Faery. It was known that every faery stood for number one and number one alone. It wasn't uncommon to turn on one's family. There were no friends in Faery. There was only murder and war.

For so long, it was easy to blame the humans and the others of the outer realms for their problems but when the portal was closed and nothing changed, it was finally known to all where the problem was. It was with them. It was a reality that they had to face. And then she came along. In such a short time, her visit changed it all. Now she would be gone and a vampire would have what he never wanted to let go of ...his best friend.

"He's getting more than he deserves," Dermot spoke boldly. "What am I to do without you? I will miss you. You are my only friend. No one has ever loved me as you do." His bottom lip trembled as he tried not to cry.

"Oh, Dermot," she said.

When she sat by him, he rested his head on her shoulder. "What am I to do without you?"

"You'll be fine and soon, everyone will see how great you really are. They won't admit it now because they're jealous of you. You have so much more to offer. I told you; your special; your wonderfulness is brighter than you realize. We can't let our differences keep us in the shadows any longer. You have to be proud of who you are and what you are. And one day, my dearest uncle, everyone will see you for what you really are." Sookie leaned her head against his. "I'm very proud of you. And you know that I love you more than any of the others."

Dermot cried as he pictured the rest of his existence without her. He would never see her again. He would never hear her telling him how important he is. He knew that no one would ever love him like she does. He was destined for a lonely life no matter what she believed.

She held his face in her hands and looked him in his eyes. "Don't think such things," she said. "If you need me, you know how to reach me." She placed his hand to her heart and then placed hers to his. "Remember our secret …you tell no one."

The faery that she loved more like a brother than an uncle, told her that he would never tell. Dermot kissed her cheek as he stood. "There is work that I must do. You will be safe?"

"I promise," Sookie said.

"You will never forget me?" He knew before he asked her that she would.

"Never," she said.

He tried to hide his tears but he failed. When she reached for him one last time, he popped away. He couldn't stay any longer.

When Dermot was gone, Sookie went out to her balcony and looked out into the enchanted forest for the last time. She watched as her animals frolicked and played in the green grass. She loved those woods; the cool shades, flowers, the trees, the sun. The sun was her favorite; especially when she was lying by the Cliffs. She closed her eyes and listened to the rushing water. In the meadows of Green Haven, she heard the birds and the children playing. She opened her eyes and admired the sky that she'd slept underneath many times. The trees were beautiful against the pink and blue sky as the Breena moon slowly descended.

She would save these memories for a night when the world gets cold and lonely. She would save them for a time when she needed to wrap herself in warmth. Before turning to go inside to meet with her grandfather, Sookie blew a kiss to the lands that she loved so much. She blew a kiss to her childhood home. Her kiss reached the trees and the flowers, the animals and the birds. Her kiss reached the children in Green Haven. She closed her eyes and she could see the children waving good-bye to her. The animals were leaping and prancing through the forest. The mists of the Cliffs gave life to the grass and flowers around it. The trees and flowers swayed as her kiss touched each leaf and branch.

"Good-bye," she whispered.

When she entered her room one last time, she looked around her royal suite and thought back to her tutoring lessons. She remembered Desmond teaching her to use her telepathy and her sense of touch without allowing others to invade her mind with their thoughts or with their feelings. She could now walk through a crowd and be touched by a stranger and their feelings would not replace her own. She could walk into a room with a million people and no one's thoughts would interfere with her verbal conversation. She could control her anger and resolve conflict without running away. She could read the mind of any being in this realm and the other; except for vampires and daemons. Desmond told her that it was best not to try to read a vampire's mind and he made her promise not to try. It was a promise that she would keep.

She looked at the white-curtained four poster bed and thought of the many nights when Niall would tell her stories of the fae and how important they are to whom and what she is. She thought of the nights she and Dermot would have sleepovers and she would help to ease his fears. She thought of how Dillon would play the harp for her on the nights her tears were her only comfort. She thought of how the sweet music always soothed her soul. The music would always call to her and fill her with happiness. Her happiness was always the man of her dreams; her vampire. The happiness was not just the feelings for the vampire but it was his touch. Yes, his touch.

She could feel the touch of his cool hand as he caressed her cheek. She could feel him nuzzle her hair and tell her how he loved the smell of summer on her skin. She ran her fingers over his face. She could see in his eyes and his smile things she'd never seen before in anyone else's. With just one look or even the hint of a smile, she could feel hunger build inside of her for him. She never felt that for any of the fae; only for her vampire. She wanted him. She wanted to feel him touch her in every way. She wanted to feel him inside of her. She wanted her vampire with every fiber of her being. In her dreams, they would kiss so passionately and his tongue would gently dance with hers. Whenever that would happen, an ache would go through to her soul; a familiarity that she so yearned for. He's always felt familiar to her. When his thumb would brush across her cheek, she knew that he belonged to her. His eyes and his smile told her everything that she needed to know.

When she looked at him she knew what his true nature was and she didn't care because there was more to him than fangs, death, and blood. She saw not only a vampire but a man. When she looked into his eyes she could see that he was calculating but he was loyal and he was fierce with his loyalty; a common trait that they share. She knew that he had a great capacity not only for blood and death but also for love, loyalty and honor. His vampire nature had no bearing on what she saw in his eyes. She knew that he was honest and direct. She could see that he was confident and doesn't feel the need to prove himself to anyone. He has a joy of living and she knows that he has a sense of humor. And one day, she was going to make him laugh …again.

When he would rest his forehead against hers, she would whisper, "I'm in agony for you."

Her vampire always lifted her chin to his face and he would say, "My lover. You kept your promise. You're home." Just when he would lean in to kiss her, he would fade away. She would awaken from her sleep crying, reaching; begging for him. Her yearning never met its release.

Sookie went to her bedroom door and gripped the crystal knob one last time. He would not fade away anymore. There would be no more crying, reaching, or begging. She was going to claim what belongs to her. She closed her eyes to search for him and her vampire was still at rest. Reaching out to him one more time, she let her lips brush across his sleeping face.

"I'm coming home," she said to her resting vampire. "I'm coming home."

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><p><strong>8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8<strong>

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><p>When Sookie walked to her grandfather's office, she knew that he would be waiting for her. He knew that she was ready to go. He didn't have to tell her about his visit with her vampire because it wouldn't have mattered. She didn't ask him what the vampire was like or any of the normal questions a young lady would ask of a probable suitor. That's because she didn't care. Even if he'd told her that the vampire wasn't for her, she would have wanted to find out for herself. She was going to go to him anyway. She was going to make him hers. She needed to do this. She needed him and nothing was going to stop her … not even her beloved grandpa.<p>

Niall was standing in the center of his office when she entered. He could tell by the look on her most beautiful face that it was time. She never just walked to his office. She enjoyed popping or fading from room to room but not today. She stood there and looked at him; sadness filled her eyes.

"My precious girl; you are leaving," he said.

"It is time. I belong to him and with him. I fear that if I stay any longer, he will not last. I fear that I will not last. I share in his pain and it's worse than ever before. If he meets ... if he goes away, I'm destined to never fall in love because my one true love will be gone. Sadly, I will follow him." Sookie stayed by the door and watched her grandfather's heart fall.

Silvery tears fell from the old fae's eyes. Niall looked at his only living granddaughter and wished that he could have been in her life a lot longer than the little time that they've had. He knew that the day would come and he would have to let her go but he didn't know that it would feel like this; empty, agonizing, and cruel.

"Oh, grandpa," she cried. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She went to him and held him in her arms. Closing her eyes and holding Niall close to her, Sookie popped them to the Cliffs.

A small chuckle left him involuntarily. She wasn't supposed to be able to do that; not this soon. It pleased him. "Your magic has gotten stronger. You will be more than capable of taking care of yourself," he said with pride.

"You and Desmond have taught me well," she said.

"You've never been gone away from home very long. Others; I worry for but you, I know that you will be fine. Being in Faery has worked wonders."

Sookie took Niall's hand and led him to the edge of the falls; the place where they've had all of their special talks. "Our people like to speak in circles. You are the master of doubletalk but as you know, I'm not like the others. You have spoken of Faery working wonders for me many, many times as if I weren't born here. I heard the thoughts of other saying that I'm going back to the human realm. As far as I know I've never been there."

Niall said nothing.

She shook her head and smiled. She got what she expected. "Am I not a true fae?"

"You are not."

"I am human."

"You are not."

"What am I?"

"You are a Brigant."

"What does that mean?"

"You're like no other. You have gifts that no one in Faery has ever been born with. You are the light of your people. Because you are different, your stay here has caused some unexpected changes; changes that I was not aware of. Changes that we so desperately needed and those changes will guide us through many, many lifetimes."

Sookie looked at Niall and she knew that he was telling the truth but he was hiding something from her. She knew what it was but she wanted to give him a chance to say it before she told him that she knew.

"You're not telling me everything."

"It is difficult to explain," he said.

Her blue eyes twinkled. "It is not. I am not a child. I will understand."

"You won't. You will believe that my reason for bringing you here was a selfish one but it was not. My only thoughts were of you and your happiness."

Sookie placed her head on her grandfather's lap. She closed eyes as she began to speak. "I know the true reason you want me to stay. You wanted to take me as your lover. You wanted me to stand with you and make our people stronger. You thought that the gift of telepathy would pass on from our offspring and make our bloodline the strongest of all fae. You wanted my gifts to pass on to our offspring. You want what I cannot and will not give you. I may not be human and I may not be fae but I know that is not the life that I wish for."

"That was my true reason for finding you." She could hear the shame in his voice; the fear that she would hate him when she learned the truth. "I never expected to feel as I do about you. I don't want you to hate me for my past mistakes. I was wrong."

"I don't hate you," she said. "I'm glad that I'm here but I could never have given you what you desire. I don't know why you've decided to let me go back but whatever the reason, I am grateful to be allowed to go on my way but I'm sorry that it pains you." She settled into her grandfather's lap as the mist from the Cliffs washed over her face.

"I love you," he whispered. "I would give you the world." Niall's magic overpowered hers. He knocked down her shields and gave her his pain in full. Normally, that would have upset her but she understood why he had to do it. Before she came into her magic, he could penetrate her shields with no problem but now with the knowledge and strength that she has when it comes to her magic, he had to give her his pain. He did what he needed to do.

His pain was heartbreaking. It filled her. She begged him to take it back but he would not. She cried as she saw the images of him letting her go. As she cried, he stroked her head and hummed her favorite lullaby.

"I'm going to miss you too," she whimpered.

Niall leaned down and rested his tear stained face in her hair. "My precious, precious, girl; you will always be a Brigant and my most favorite."

His magic was pulling her under and she had no choice but to tuck her magic and her memories of Faery away. It was too overpowering. She was putting them in a safe place; her memories of her family and friends; the water of the Cliffs, the enchanted forest, the children of Green Haven, her trees, flowers, and her pets.

"Rest, my child and let me explain and you will soon understand." As he returned to an upright position, Niall began telling Sookie of the new life that awaits her. "It's a life that is full of happiness and wonder. There was a beautiful woman named Adele and she loved you dearly. Adele and I raised you and your brother Jason when your parents died in an accident; a car accident. We have always been so proud of you and Jason; especially you. You are so very smart. You excelled at everything and anything that you put your mind to. You have never been one to settle for less than what you deserve. You never let your gift define who you are. You graduated at the top of your class; straight As. Sadly, my dear sweet Adele never got to see you go off to college. She died in her sleep of a heart attack. But you persevered.

"You went to LSU and worked very hard to become the very best at working with special children. You teach children that are just like you. You've always been very proud of the work that you do for your children. You're proud of what you can do and who you are. But mind you, you have to be wary about who you share her gifts with. Your faery traits will always keep you leery of some. You'll love your new life but one thing is missing and when you find it, you'll know it. And you will take it because it is yours. You will be filled with anxiety because you don't understand but in time, in time my precious girl, you will."

"What about the vampire? Will he be mine?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Yes, you will get what you want. He makes you feel complete. He loves you, little one. You are fated to be with him. The vampire is your destiny and your destiny has been placed at your feet. He's waiting for you and it's time for you to go to him but there is so much more waiting for you. You have to want it. You have to accept everything that is a part of you before you will ever be completely happy. Do you understand me, my beloved?"

"Mmm," Sookie said as she slept.

The more Niall caressed her head and lulled her to sleep, the deeper she slept. Her new memories were all that she knew. She was slowly becoming the woman she wanted to be; the woman she deserved to be. She saw a happy and successful woman. She had friends and she had a life that was for her. She was loved and she was free. She embraced her new reality.

Niall kissed her face as her breathing took on a smooth rhythm. "You have been given the chance to live an entirely different life so that you and your one true love can live in peace and without fear. Everything that you are now will remain; powerful, stronger, braver, even more loyal, a leader. You will be so much more secure. You will go to your vampire without hesitation. And when you meet him, you'll know it but heed my words, my beloved. True acceptance brings true happiness."

As she slept, her vampire was reaching for her. He was calling her home. His cool, strong hand was waiting for her to take it. This time, their fingertips brushed and palms clasped together. Without hesitation, she took it. Her vampire was taking her home. Instantly, she was gone. Niall was holding her body but her heart and soul were with the vampire. Niall held his precious girl in his arms and cried. He was going to miss her sweet, southern voice and her sweet, innocent smile. He was going to miss their talks. He'd lost his little girl. His glow enveloped her and he gave her a bit of his essence one last time.

When they were in the house of her new life, he placed her in bed and tucked her in. He checked her closet to be sure that her royal clothing was there; special fabrics for such a special young lady. He then kissed her head and turned off the light. As he walked through the house, he made sure that everything was in its place. His sons did exactly as he ordered them to. Dermot and Dillon have done an excellent job.

Her education was taken care of in Faery. She is very well educated in the world of man and their way of life. Her accomplishments in childhood mental studies are very well known. The psychiatrists' office that will employ her is Niall's pride and joy. The supernatural children of this realm have always been provided for but now they will be taught and protected by one of their own. They will not be used as sideshows or as governmental tools. They will be taught to know when to use their gifts and whom they can and cannot trust.

She had everything that she would need. The home was protected by the strongest magic. She had nothing to fear but he would keep her protected just the same. The extra protection should be along any minute now. She has money in the bank, a car, and anything else she will need.

"I see you've made it," Desmond said from behind Niall.

"Yes," Niall said. He looked in the direction of her bedroom one last time. "It's hard letting her go, is it not?"

"It is," Desmond agreed. "Being her teacher was quite a joy. And for that, I am grateful. My last meeting with her will be soon. I dread it but it is necessary."

"So it is," Niall replied. "Have you retrieved the jewel?"

Taking the faded jewel from his pocket, he placed it in Niall's hand. "Dermot was careful and precise. Her wedding ring has taken its place in his hand. The cluviel dor has never been seen by a vampire."

"Is the witch aware?" Niall asked.

"She is," Desmond said.

Niall shook hands with the daemon and said, "It has been a pleasure working with you, old friend. Maybe we will see each other again in passing."

"I guarantee it."

When they saw the human form walking to the front door, the fae and the daemon were gone.

"Sookie," Amelia called out as she walked in. "If you don't get up, we're going to be late for work."


	41. Chapter 41

**I Remember You**

**Back to the Present!**

**Chapter 41**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. The fact that you take the time to read my story makes me extremely lucky that you would give your time to me. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.**

**We have now returned to the present with our favorite couple. When we last left them, they were on their date by their waterfall. It had to be cut short because there was an issue that needed to be handled by Eric in New Orleans. Sookie was given the option of going home or going with him. She decided to go with him. When we meet up with them, they are going to be sitting in the back of the limo on their way to the royal home. For just a little bit we get to see a little bit of the old relationship that they used to have. I hope that you all enjoy. And again... thanks.**

**Update: I wanted to apologize because I'd IM'ed a couple of people and said that chapter would be up on Sunday but got delayed. Please accept my apology for the delay.**

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><p>Oklahoma? Fae?<p>

Fae? Oklahoma?

Are they more important than our date night? I can't believe I've asked myself that question. That was a stupid question. Obviously, they were. Let me explain why.

Eric invited me to come along with him to New Orleans for the weekend. I was happy to jump at the chance since he said that we wouldn't be able to see each other until the following Monday. It would have to have been late Monday because I have to work and it wouldn't have been very long because I have to work on Tuesday. Fifteen minute phone calls would not have been good enough. There was no way I was going to settle for phone calls up until Saturday night. I don't know how the relationship was with the other woman but that's not going to bode well with me. I wanted to be with him. And he wanted to be with me … or so I thought. Now I'm wondering if I've made a huge mistake.

Since telling him that I would spend the weekend with him, he's been ignoring me the entire time. How do you do that? He's been on that damned cell phone of his and has barely looked in my direction. He's stiff and so ...hard looking now. His demeanor is totally different than what it was like earlier. He was just as sweet as pie and adorable when we were waiting for Mustapha and Heidi to come to the car. He couldn't get enough of me. And I definitely couldn't get enough of him.

While we were alone, we hugged and kissed. We nibbled and caressed. We talked. He nuzzled my neck and told me that he loves me. I straddled him as he sat on the hood of the car; I rested my head on his shoulder and told him that I was glad that I couldn't find Merlotte's. I told him that I think that finding Fangtasia was my destiny. I told him that I've never had as much fun as I do when I'm with him even if it has only been three days since we've met. His fingertips gently trailed the outline of my spine.

When I snuggled into him, it felt as if I'd been there before. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and closed my eyes as I listened to his baritone voice vibrating through me. My body shivered with each word he'd spoken and with the slightest touch of his hand. He whispered to me that he loves me and he knows that I love him. I know that I am his and that I would never leave him. He was my happiness. He is my happiness. That tender moment was no more than ten minutes ago. But now, if you looked through the windows of the car, you would think that we were total and complete strangers that just so happened to meet up in the woods that needed a ride home and a limo just so happened to be passing through.

As soon as Mustapha and Heidi were in the car and we were on the road to New Orleans, his phone began to ring incessantly. He told whomever he was speaking to that he would call Oklahoma when he had the time. He said that he had something more important to tend to. He said that he needed to contact Fae first. When he said that, he looked at me. I looked at him and smiled. I could feel a swell of love as I looked into his eyes and right after that, I wanted to deck him.

I couldn't believe what he'd done. He started to whisper! I didn't hear him say another word! I got up and moved to the other side of the limo. He grabbed my arm as to pull me back to him but I looked at his hand, my arm and then at him. He let me go and I left him to his phone call. He stared at me but said nothing.

I couldn't believe it. Did he think that I would listen in on his conversations? I would never do that. I knew that he was hiding something because I could hear the person on the other end speaking to him but I couldn't hear him speaking to them. We've only been on one date and he's already hiding things from me. I then calmed myself down and began to think rationally or at least tried to.

Maybe I shouldn't get angry and maybe I should try to be a little more understanding. Obviously, he is very important. He has a business that he has to take care of. He has vampires that call him master for goodness sakes. I could tell by looking at him that did more than run a bar. I looked at him with my arms crossed and began to wonder what he could possibly be. Maybe he's the president of the vampires. He seems to be smart and honorable. He's hot enough. I'd vote for him.

That could be the reason he's so secretive. Maybe they're not supposed to let others know that they have presidents and vice presidents. How cool would it be if my boyfriend was the president of the vampires? That has to be reason why he's behaving the way he is. It's a secret. Vampire politics are secret. When I walked out of the tent, he was speaking with Mustapha and Heidi. As soon as they saw, me they clammed up. That's it. He's president of the vampires.

I smiled as I thought of dating the president. When I realized that I was staring at him, I looked away because I didn't want him to think that I was listening in on his conversation. I turned to look out of the window and at the New Orleans scenery. I began to wish that Amelia would hurry up and return my call. I just wanted someone to speak with. Lo and behold, my phone began to sing That's Not My Name_._ Bless you, Amelia.

When I answered, she said, "I was in the tub when you called. What's up?"

"I'm not coming home tonight. We're going to New Orleans to Eric's house. You can stay there if you want and I might see you in the morning. I was going to spend the weekend but I don't know. I think I'm going to come home and if I do, it will be around noon."

I pretended not to notice but I saw the frown on his face when I said that I was going home but he said nothing.

"I wanted to stay but now ..." I shrugged my shoulders as I ended the sentence.

A burst of giggles flowed through the phone line. "You slut," she said. "I'm so proud of you. You're going to get laid. I think I'm going to cry." She started sniffling.

"You really irritate me, Amelia. You know that?"

Ignoring me, she said, "You know, I heard that he has the biggest cock …"

"Cut it out Amelia," I whispered harshly into the phone. I looked at Eric and he was smirking. I was as red as a beat. I turned to the side and placed my hand over my mouth and whispered, "That is not going to happen. I am not going to sleep with him."

"No one said that you're supposed to sleep with him. You're supposed to fuck him!"

"You stop that!"

She sounded like a wounded hyena. "You could suck his …"

"Amelia!" I hissed. "I will no longer speak to you. I am hanging up now!" As I slid my finger across the screen of my phone, she hurriedly told me that she loves me. I stuck my tongue out at the phone and laid it on the seat beside me.

Needless to say, Eric was still on his phone. He looked bored but I could see anger burning behind his eyes. His lips were moving faster than I could see but I could tell that he was reading someone the riot act. I decided that the only thing I had to do was sit here and wait. It was 11:00 and I was on a date with a man that was on a secret service phone call.

"We'll reach our destination in an hour," Mustapha announced from the front seat. I started to wonder what he and Heidi were talking about. I wish that I was part of that conversation. I should've talked to Amelia a little longer. Just by happenstance, I was lucky enough to get another phone call. I finally had someone to talk to. God knows that Eric wasn't going to do it. When I looked at the caller ID, it was a number that I didn't expect. It was Remy Savoy; Hunter's dad.

"Mr. Savoy," I answered in my most professional voice. "This is Sookie Stackhouse. Is everything alright with Hunter? You haven't had any more problems with him speaking out of turn have you?"

Remy told me that Hunter has a habit of reading people's thoughts and then answering them or giving his opinion on what they were thinking. He has had to change sitters and schools several times because of it. My first real session with Hunter will be dealing with his inability to use discretion. Remy wants desperately for Hunter to learn to keep his gift to himself and I fully understand his concerns. Hunter could be putting himself and his father in danger. His gift is too valuable and others could possibly use it for their own purposes. I can't risk him getting lost in the world of greedy humans and supes.

Remy began clearing his throat. "No, no there's no problem with Hunter at all. He's great. As a matter of fact, he's crazy about you. The thing is that he is not the one with the problem. I'm the one with the problem."

He knows that I don't work with adults. I didn't understand why he was calling me. "I'm sorry to hear that but I don't work with adults. I can refer you to a colleague of mine. He's an excellent therapist and he has some openings. I could talk to him for you. I'm sure that he can help you with any problems that you may have."

Remy laughed nervously at my response. "I don't have that type of problem. The problem that I have is with you."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I've never had any problems with any of the other parents. They all seem to like me; well most of them. I couldn't begin to understand what problem he could possibly have with me. Whatever it is, we have to work it out. His son needs my help and I can't turn my back on him. Without me, he could be in danger. Hunter needs me.

"I don't understand," I said. I tried not to show concern but obviously I failed. Eric was on alert and watching me. "What have I done for you to feel this way? I would never do anything to hurt him. I love my children." My heart was breaking. I love all of my children. Before Eric, they were all I had.

He placed his phone by his side and asked, "Are you alright?"

I nodded. I pointed to my phone and said, "Parent of one of my kids."

"I'll call you later," Eric said. He never gave the caller a chance to respond. He was intently focused on me.

"Sookie," Remy was saying when I went back to the phone.

"I'm here. Mr. Savoy, whatever problems that you have with me we can discuss them. I can set up a meeting with you tomorrow. I'm in New Orleans now but I can meet you at my office tomorrow afternoon. I really want to help Hunter. I don't want whatever I've done to cause you to doubt me to interfere with what I can do for him."

Remy started laughing. "I'm sorry, Sookie. I didn't mean to alarm you. It's nothing that you've done. It's nothing like that at all. The problem that I have is that I can't stop thinking about you. I know that this may be a little awkward but I had to call you. I've been thinking of you since Hunter's last appointment. I can't get you off of my mind." He chuckled. "You have been in my every thought."

"Oh," I said nervously.

"You have _consumed_ my every thought," he said.

Again all I could think to say was oh.

I heard Eric's fangs click into place. The expression on his face was not a happy one. Eric was beyond pissed. "Who is that a man?"

I nodded at Eric and mouthed the word 'parent' as I pointed at the phone.

"You looked so damned beautiful but what took me away was your smile. When you talked to Hunter, your face lit up and I've been thinking of you and your smile every since. Your personality was just so different than when we first met. You seemed much happier and more at ease. When I first met you, you were stoic and looked like an unhappy museum tour guide. I'd never seen you around a child until Thursday. You were amazing."

"Thank you, Mr. Savoy but …"

"Please, call me Remy. Will you please call me Remy?" He sighed before he spoke again. "I need to say this before I lose my nerve. What I called for ...ahem ...the reason I've called is because I really want to take you out to dinner …or even the park. Maybe the zoo," he added quickly. "You could have dinner with me ... Hunter could come along if you'd prefer. Maybe one night next week we can go out? We could go the park or the zoo one evening. That's if you're not too busy. Would you like to go out with me?" he asked.

Eric began to growl. His lips were drawn back from his fangs. I was then suddenly hit with a wave of anger …and jealousy? I mouthed the words, "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Hang up," he ordered me.

"Oh Eric, you stop that," I whispered. I went over to sit with him once again. I kissed his lips softly and held his hand. I went back to my phone call. "Thank you, Mr. Savoy. Your compliment is completely flattering but I don't date the parents of my patients. It's not ethical and it could cause problems; not just for the adults but the children as well. I am sorry but I cannot go out with you. Plus, I am involved with someone." Eric wrapped me up into his arms and kissed my forehead.

Remy chuckled. "I should have known that you would have a boyfriend. And I totally understand about the children. I thought I'd ask anyway. But if you and your guy don't work out or if you change your mind, you have my number."

"Yes, I do," I said with a laugh. "I'll see you Tuesday."

"I'm counting the seconds," he said.

"Please tell Hunter that I can't wait to see him. Goodnight, Mr. Savoy."

"Goodnight, Sookie," he said.

When I hung up the phone, Eric was staring at me and his beautiful blue eyes were the iciest blue I'd ever seen. I noticed that his free hand was in an extremely tight fist and that's when I noticed the broken plastic pieces of his telephone were laying on his lap.

"Are you okay?"

"That was a man." he said. He totally ignored the question that I asked him. I also noticed that he had an accent; an accent that didn't make itself known earlier tonight.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I know that. It was the parent of one of my children. I told you that."

"You are seeing someone? He asked you for a date and all that you say is that you're seeing someone?" His fangs were drawn and they were gleaming. "You gave yourself to me tonight when you said that you would be mine if I gave myself to you. I'm holding you to that."

I looked at him wide-eyed and slack jawed. I went back to my side of the car and said to him, "You eavesdropper! My phone conversations are none of your business! You really have some nerve, buster!"

If he could have, Eric would have stood tall and looked down at me when he spoke again. "When you are with me, you are not to be speaking with any other men! When you are _not_ with me, you are not to speak with any other men unless I approve. You are mine!"

Scooting to the edge of my seat and with my hands on my hips, I said, "Approve! You whisper the entire time you're on the phone but when I get a phone call you eavesdrop! You could have been speaking to another woman as far as I know! You didn't have time for me when you were on your call but when I get a call from a handsome (it was spiteful, I know) man, you pitch a bitch! You really have some kind of nerve!"

Mimicking my posture, minus the hands on his hips, he said; and with authority I might add, "I have vampire business to attend to and I was not speaking with a woman but that does not matter. What matters is that you are not to be involved with such things. I will not have you hurt or in danger. I will not make the same mistakes again! Vampire business can become very dangerous and if I am able, I will not have you involved. I will not allow you to …"

"Allow!" I yelled. "Allow! What do you mean allow? I am a grown and capable woman. You have no right to tell me what I'm allowed or not allowed to do! And," I added, "you'd better remember this; my phone calls are my private, personal business! And," I said with my finger pointing upward, "I don't need your approval to speak to anyone!"

Before I knew it, Eric was kneeled in front of me and in between my legs "He called you to tell you that you are beautiful and you are. That had absolutely nothing to do with business. You should have ended that call immediately." He then wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. We were so close that I had to catch my breath. "Remember lover, you are my business."

Before I could say anything, Eric's mouth was on mine. His arms were crushing me into him. Not meaning to, I responded to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs automatically went around wrapped around him and pulled him closer to me. I knew at that instant that I love him even if he is being a high-handed jerk. With his mouth on mine, I knew that I was his and that I would always be his but we were going to settle this first.

Barely kissing his lips and tracing them with my tongue, I asked, "Why is it your business? Why do you care who I talk to on the phone?"

He pulled me closer to him and started grinding his hardness against me causing me to moan into his mouth. He said, "Because you are my mine. You're my girl."

"I'm your girl?" I asked sultrily in his ear.

He nibbled and nuzzled at my neck and my ear. He kissed my cheek and then moved to my eyelids and on to the tip of my nose. He began to lightly kiss my lips; letting his tongue taste mine ever so lightly. Tilting my head to the side thinking that he was going to kiss me, I beckoned for his mouth to me. Instead, he answered my question.

"Yes."

Grabbing a handful of his hair, I forced his head back as I licked from his Adam's apple to the right side of his neck. His moaned as I nipped at his neck. It took everything in me not to bite; though I desperately wanted to. I could feel myself moisten with anticipation at the thought of tasting his blood. I wanted to feel him inside of me; body and soul. The tip of my tongue brushed against his neck as I licked my lips.

"Eric?" I said.

"Yes my lover," he growled as his nostrils flared.

"If I'm your girl, respect my privacy and stop listening in on my phone calls."

I did what I shouldn't have done and bit his neck. I released his head forcefully and looked him square in his eyes. With a tiny drop of his blood on my lip, I looked into his eyes. I deliberately licked the blood from my lip as slowly as I could. I used all of the strength and determination that I had to ignore the feeling that having his blood gave me. He looked shocked. His mouth was wide open. I placed the tips of my fingers on his chin and closed it for him.

"You're catching flies," I warned.

I didn't give him a chance to speak. I turned to stare out the window and started fuming over the fact that he was an eavesdropper …a jealous eavesdropper. I have to admit that it made me happy to know that he was jealous. It kind of made me feel giddy inside. Trying to be sly and failing miserably, I looked at him through hooded eyes. He was not a happy camper.

His clear blue eyes held mine in a gripping and compelling gaze. I was afraid that if I moved, I would be naked in ten seconds or less and he would be in between my legs making sure that all of New Orleans would hear him stake claim to me. I looked on either side of me, hoping that I could find somewhere else to go but I was trapped. I finally turned away from him and stared out the window.

"You bit me," he finally said.

"So," I said. I was doing the best that I could to keep my breathing even and my voice from quivering. With that one taste of blood, I could feel him inside of me and I wanted more.

He closed his eyes as he inhaled the scent in the car. His eyes snapped open and he drew his lips back and he let me see his fangs as they slowly descended from their hiding place. I was wetter than I was before.

"Why do you keep doing that?" I asked nervously.

Smirking, he asked, "Doing what?"

"Inhaling; you're inhaling like you have to. Why do you do that?"

Within seconds, he had me lying on my back. His hands began to roam over my body and he said, "I can smell your want for me …your need."

He slowly slid my t-shirt over my torso and began to kiss it. He slowly moved to the girls and lightly brushed his fingers across the lace bra.

"Do you like this, my lover?" he asked as he began to kiss my nipples.

Definitely not meaning to, I placed my hand to the back of his head and moaned an incoherent yes.

Underneath the cups of my bra, he kissed my exposed breasts. A gasp caught deep in my throat. "Look at me, lover," he ordered.

I looked down and watched has he teased me with his tongue. His eyes were on me as he planted sweet kisses on my stomach. When he reached the button on my jeans, I gasped when he took his hands and held onto my bottom; lifting my jean covered hootchie close to him mouth.

"Do you want me, Sookie?" he asked as he watched me.

"Yes," I whimpered.

He kissed me through my jeans and I threw my head back and then instantly returned my eyes back to him. "Say it," he ordered as he buried his nose and mouth deeper into my covered but wet hootchie.

I looked at him and said "I want you." He pressed his mouth harder to my hootchie; causing me to throw my head back in ecstasy.

Smugly he said, "Remember, you're _my_ girl. You're _mine_." Then he did the cruelest thing; he stopped.

When I opened my eyes, he was sitting across from me; smirking. Anger seethed through me but a smile was on my face. He was still smirking as I lay back down. I looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes. I counted to ten and then turned to look at him.

"Is that the only look that you have?"

"As a matter of fact, it is."

"Smart ass," I mumbled as I sat up and pulled my shirt down …still smiling.

"You can't fool me with that smile."

Why did his kisses have to affect me like this? Why did my body need his touch? Each gentle pass of his lips on my skin made me feel like I was burning from the inside out and to make matters worse, he knew it. He knew that I enjoyed it. Look at him; all proud of himself. Well, buster, two can play that game.

Eric continued to look at me as if he'd won the battle when I knew that I was going to win the war. Staring out in the New Orleans night, I asked, "How much longer before we get to your house?"

"I'd say about fifteen minutes," he responded.

I let the window down just a bit and let the cool air blow over my face. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation. I took the bottom of my t-shirt and tucked it into the cleavage of my bra and pulled it through to the other side in order to make myself a farmer's daughter tee. I heard fangs click into place as I continued to let the cool air blow over me.

"Warm Louisiana night, huh?" I asked him.

"For a human, I guess it would be," he said in a choked voice.

I fanned myself with my hand. I huffed and puffed unnecessarily. "Do you know whether or not the bag of clothes you left me …oh, there it is. Will you hand that to me please? I think I'm going to put the dress on." I chuckled. "I should have put that on instead of these jeans."

Eric handed me the bag; all the while staring at my exposed stomach and the swell of my breasts as they peeked over my shirt.

"Thanks," I said as I kicked off my shoes.

Using the back of the seat as a prop, I unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. I continued to ignore him. I'm better at this game than he is and he is going to regret playing with me. As I slid the jeans over my hips, I heard him inhaling the air. Pretending that they were hard to pull over my feet, I lay on my back and I lifted my legs up in the air pulled the jeans off that way.

I laughed at the car ceiling and said, "Skinny jeans are stylish but my goodness, they are hard to take off." After I'd taken them off, I threw them to the other side of the car and said, "Whew ...that was hard work!"

Upon opening the bag, the dress was at the very top. I almost lost it when I saw him shifting from side to side in his seat.

"Here it is!" I exclaimed.

I took off my shirt and slid the dress over my body. When I looked down at my shoulders, I could see my bra straps.

"I didn't realize that it was a strapless dress. Why didn't you tell me that it was a strapless dress, Eric?"

I slowly slid the straps from my shoulders and tried to unclasp my bra in the back. Eric was still watching …panting …shifting …wanting me. I was going to make him pay for what he did to me.

I stared at him and shook my head. "A lady couldn't possibly go out in public with her bra straps showing. It is_ so_ not attractive. You know?"

He licked his lips and nodded.

Try as I might, I couldn't get the bra clasps undone. I sighed and threw my hands up in surrender. "It is so hard to undo a bra." I tried a little while longer then just gave up all hope. "Eric," I said in a timid voice.

He only looked at me. He couldn't speak.

"Would you undo my bra for me, please? I know that you may not want to help me but I'd really appreciate it."

I didn't give him a chance to answer. Making sure that my dress was pulled up just a bit so that my bottom was showing; I turned my back to him and sat beside him. Or so I thought. I _accidentally_ sat on his lap and something was poking me from behind.

"What am I sitting …?" I said as I wiggled on his already throbbing hardness.

"Sookie!" he said with menace in his voice.

Feigning ignorance, I placed my hand demurely over my mouth and said, "I'm so sorry."

Once I was actually sitting beside him instead of on him, I turned my back to him and pulled the top of the halter dress down to my waist. I made sure that he could see the silhouette of my breasts without actually letting him see them. While he was undoing my bra, he began to kiss the back of my neck. His fangs scraped over my shoulder which was soon followed by the slightest lick.

"Do you want me, Eric?" I asked. I reached behind me and started caressing the back of his head and running my fingers through his hair.

He moved to the spot just behind my ear and growled, "Yes!"

I moved away from his kisses and pulled my dress up a little more as I crawled away from him. And being the vixen that I am, I made sure that my thong was seen by my vampire. As I turned to face him, I leaned against the door handle and slowly pulled my dress up to the tops of my thighs.

"Do you want to see?" I asked him.

Like a virginal school boy, he nodded his head. He was making his way to me; crawling across the seat.

Placing my thumbs in the waistband, I began to ease my panties down. Just as he was about to see the trimmed and rarely used hootchie, the limo came to a stop. I looked towards the front seat and I pulled my panties up and returned to my side of the limo. My dress was demurely pulled down over my thighs; a total contrast from what happened fifteen minutes earlier. I put my bra in the bag and slid my feet into the flip flops. I pulled a hairclip from my purse and styled my hair in a ponytail.

"What are you doing?" he said in a husky yet strained voice.

I looked at him as if he had gone crazy. "We're parked in front your house, Eric. I'm not going to give myself to you parked in front of your house. What if your vampires come to the car and open the door ...that would be embarrassing." I shook my head. "I will not do that."

Before I knew it, Eric was sitting beside me. He looked at me as if he was debating with himself. Finally, he'd obviously come to some sort of decision. He placed his hands on either side of my face and stared deeply into my eyes. I could feel pressure behind my eyes. I looked at him slyly and smiled.

"You are too much, Eric," I said as I removed his hands from my face.

He pretended to look as if he had no idea what I was talking about. "What?" he asked with his eyes as wide as can be.

"Don't give me that wide eyed innocent look."

He grinned and repeated, "What?"

I opened the car door and turned to look at as I got out. "Bad vampire," I said. "It didn't work the first time you met me and it won't work now."

When I stepped from the car there were vampires surrounding the front of this massive house. I studied my surroundings and 'saw' and 'heard' that the house was well guarded. The sight that was before made me believe that Eric really is the president. I'm dating the president.

When I turned to see if Eric was beside me, he wasn't. I looked in the car; I saw that he was still sitting there with a dazed look on his face. I felt a jolt of surprise strumming through me and it caused me to jump and giggle.

"Why do I feel you?" I asked giddily. My heart was in my throat and butterflies were playing in my stomach.

He moved so fast that I couldn't see him. I really don't like that. He instantly had his arms wrapped around my waist.

"In time my lover," he said. He then leaned down and captured my mouth. When he let me up for air, his thumb was caressing the side of my face. "In time," he repeated.

"Who told you to stop?" I asked. I stepped closer into his body and reclaimed his mouth. He groaned and I could swear that I felt him in my heart and soul. His tongue immediately found its way into my mouth. I whimpered in reaction, allowing my lips to be loved and sucked by his willing and powerful mouth. I felt his hardness pressing against me and I twisted my hips against him. My arms went limp against my body as this familiar man let me taste his sweet kisses.

I broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. I could feel my lips swelling and my heart pounding in my chest. I could hear other voices but they weren't coming through. The only thing that was on my mind was Eric. I knew that we belonged to each other and only to each other. His eyes were filled with possessiveness and passion. They looked like my own. The growls that were coming from within him made me want him even more. I could hear the voices that were surrounding us and speaking with urgency. We needed to end this spectacle and take it up later on tonight and he needed to let me go.

"Release me," I said.

The voices that I'd heard earlier were suddenly quiet.

"Never," he said.

"Promise me," I said.

"Promise," he said it as if it's the way it's supposed to be.

Placing my hand gently to the back of his head and pulling his ear close to my mouth, I said, "I promised you forever and forever I give only to you."

He lightly kissed me once more and said, "My lover." We began kissing once again, oblivious to our surroundings.

With her hands on her hips and her fashionable and very expensive heels on display, Pam interrupted our moment. "If you two would quit gnawing and chewing on each other for a moment, we would really appreciate it. We have some business to attend to. As you can see," she said with a wave her hands. "All of your vampires are here, master."

Eric and I looked around and each vampire from Fangtasia was with us plus a couple I'd never seen. I had this urge to be ashamed but I pushed it to the back burner. I didn't care that they saw us. He's mine. I'm not ashamed of how I feel. They'd better get used to it because I'm not going anywhere.

As I fully turned to face the crowd of glowing faces, I leaned my back against Eric's body and relaxed. He wrapped his arms around me and started speaking to Pam. "I see you. What is your point?"

Pam looked from me to Eric and said, "You have company in the royal meeting hall. Oklahoma has arrived unannounced."

My vampire's body tensed and his grip on me was firmer than before. His fangs clicked into place and his vampires followed suit. Oklahoma caused problems during Eric's earlier phone call and now Oklahoma's causing problems again. I don't like this Oklahoma.

Who the fuck is Oklahoma?


	42. Chapter 42

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 42**

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I hope that you all enjoy these two new chapters. I also want to include the disclaimer. It goes for any and all chapters that I post, be it past, present, and future chapters. I do NOT own any of the main characters. They belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris. Hopefully, this season on True Blood, she'll be sure to take claim to the characters that she once owned and stop letting Alan Ball ruin my favorite couple.**

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><p>"Eric, why are you sending me away?" Sookie looked up at me with wondering eyes. "Does this have to do with the phone call you were on earlier?"<p>

"Yes," I answered.

"I figured," she said. "I was worried about you and angry with you but I understand that you have work to do." She nodded and repeated, "I understand."

With my hands on her shoulders, I said, "If I didn't have to do this, I would spend the entire night by your side. The vampires that have come to me unannounced need my guidance. I apologize for my actions earlier tonight but I don't want to get you involved in vampire politics."

She studied my face for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay," she replied. "I can stay with you if you need me."

"No, lover," I said quickly. "I will be fine."

"If you need me, I will be upstairs. I will be waiting for you." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed before she let Indira take her to the royal quarters. She glanced at me over her shoulders as she walked away.

Needless to say, I was beyond stunned. The old Sookie would have made me promise to give a meticulous explanation of what was going on and why she couldn't be a party to what was going on. She would have sent anger and frustration through the bond throughout the entire meeting. But this Sookie, the new Sookie just wanted to make sure that everything was all right. She wanted to stay with me, protect me but I couldn't allow it.

I will do what I can to shield her completely this time. She has no place in vampire business this time. I will fill her in on what she needs to know but I will not involve her. They will only know that she is my wife. I will not use her gift and I will not allow anyone else to use her gift. I've been given a second chance and I'm going to make things right for her. Before, she was surrounded by things that are normally delicate to human sensibilities. She was always surrounded by violence and deceitfulness. Not anymore. It will not come to pass this time.

When Sookie was safely escorted to the royal chambers, my vampires and I went to the meeting hall. Once I was in the room, Maxwell Lee filled me in on what has happened thus far. He said that Oklahoma has already been setup in the visitor's quarters.

"They have been informed that they are only allowed within their assigned areas unless otherwise granted. They have been placed on the third floor. Our guards are at their assigned posts. The Weres will be here before the sunrises. I've assigned our most trusted guard to watch over your wife during the daylight hours; Mustapha. He had no objections with staying here."

I gave him an approving nod.

Heidi stepped forward and took over where Maxwell left off. "I've searched the entire area and everything is safe and secure. The staff has been well-versed to not reveal her appearance to anyone that is not of this house. They don't know who she is but they know that she belongs to you. I told them that they would not like the punishment if your orders are disobeyed." Her fangs slowly descended as she thought about the fresh blood that could possibly await her.

"Guards are outside of her room," I said.

"Yes. Indira volunteered to stay with her and Warren and Mustapha are outside …somewhere."

No one ever knew where the Weres would be when they went into hiding or what weapons they would be armed with. Their targets never knew what hit them. They'd generally be dead before they realized that they were being used for target practice. The Weres were worth every penny I've ever paid them.

"She is to be guarded at all times. No one goes in or out of her room without my authorization. Am I understood?" I looked at each of my vampires. The most of trusted of my retinue were excluded from that edict; Pam, Maxwell Lee, Thalia, and Indira.

Once my orders had been recognized, I looked around the meeting hall and each of my vampires was here. Thalia was standing in the corner with her arms crossed behind her back. She looked as lethal as ever. The tiny vampire was the third deadliest vampire I have in my retinue. She and Pam are always with me when I have to travel to summits or different areas for meetings with other vampires. Maxwell Lee was standing in the other corner; silently removing his jacket and placing it ever so carefully over his arm. Gerald and Marco were standing by the door; arms crossed behind their backs and in a wide legged stance …armed to the teeth no less.

Pam came sliding into the room to let us know that our visitors were on their way on. She looked around to be sure that the other vampires had taken their posts. Once she was satisfied, she came to me. Pam and I walked together to the head of the table together. I took my seat as Pam stood behind my chair. I wanted to make sure that when our visitors entered the room, they knew who was in charge and who has my back. I sat majestically and tall, soundless and immobile. I wanted them all to recognize that I am the most compelling vampire they'll ever have the pleasure of encountering.

A tiny, waifish human approached the door with her eyes paying close attention to the floor. "Master, I present your visitors." With a sweep of her hand, she bowed and motioned for the vampires to enter the room.

"Your highness," the vampires said to me.

"Lieutenant Ravenscroft," they said to Pam. We gave them dismissive looks.

"Be seated," Pam ordered.

Oklahoma was the last to cross the threshold. Behind him, the human closed the door as silently as she entered the room. Pam and I simultaneously welcomed Oklahoma with slight nods of our head. He nodded deeply to me and my lieutenant.

"William Compton, be seated," I ordered as I motioned for him to take the seat at the other end of the table. Our eyes met only briefly. We hadn't seen each other in more than two years. He has been handling things for me in the state that I dread most of all. Though we have never been what one would call an associate, he has done an outstanding job with overseeing the state on my behalf … until now.

Bill thanked me once he was seated and with that, the meeting began. There was no need for pleasantries. We knew why we were here.

Compton began explaining the basis for his abrupt appearance in my home. "Russell called upon the Royal Court and filled me in on the problems that that he's having with the FotSs members in his area. The problems in Oklahoma are depleting but they're not as bad as what Mississippi's going through. I don't want it to get to that point. I have vampires patrolling the area. Even I have been on the prowl to make sure we are safe but it's not working. They have been killing off …"

Before Bill could conclude the sentence, I stopped the meeting with the raise of my hand. I could hear my human servant approaching the room. When I heard the timid knock at the door, I advised her that she could come in. "You may enter, Sandra."

Sandra entered the room with nine beautiful virgins following her. "Your ladies have arrived, master." And true ladies they were.

They've never been touched by man or vampire. They have never defiled their bodies with drugs or spirits. The ladies are free of all diseases. They have never known the taste of meat. They are only fed the freshest fruits and vegetables. They are from the Virgin Islands and the best of their kind.

So that all present could admire them, the ladies were ordered to stand in front of the picture window. Their naked bodies looked magnificent as the beams of the moon were shining upon them. They smelled of summer breezes and coconuts. Their bodies were tanned and fit. I knew that my guests would be most grateful to have their needs met by such beautiful women.

When the humans were displayed appropriately, I sent Sandra from the room. She left without looking back. Pointing to the meals that stood only inches from us, I said, "These beautiful young women were to be presented to you as a token of our appreciation for our future meeting but since you are a few days early, I will allow you to enjoy your meals this evening." I did not try to hide the sarcasm. "And remember, they are not meant to be drained and misused in anyway. Am I clear?"

Yeses were heard from all around.

I could tell by the vampires' eyes that the offering was more than they expected. They expected nothing and they fully expected to be turned away because they appeared unannounced. Rightfully so, they deserved absolutely nothing. If anything, they needed to bring me an offering. They are in my home and invading upon my weekend with my wife but I do understand their reasons.

When Pam called me earlier, she told me that Bill had called me several times but alas, I wouldn't answer the phone. I was busy. Pam proceeded to tell me that they were in dire need of our help. Their numbers are decreasing drastically because of the FoTSs members and I'm willing to help. Luckily for them, I'm in a giving mood. If they were allowed to, they would have their queen to thank for my graciousness.

"You are more than kind, Eric," Bill said. "Please accept my apology for this imposition. As your lieutenant may have already explained to you, the FotSs members have become more and more aggressive. I had no choice but to come to you. I did not and do not want to disappoint you and I did try to handle it as best as I could before coming to you but as your regent, I had no choice. We've lost four vampires but four is too many as far as I'm concerned."

With no passion or inflection in his voice, the conversation continued to flow from his cool lips.

"We can't afford to lose anymore of our vampires in the FotSs members' quest to end our kind. Two of the vampires that were lost, were two of our strongest. Somehow, the FotSs members have been educated on some of our weaknesses. When the vampires were captured, they were given tainted blood. We found this bit of information out because members of the security team captured two of the humans that were used to lure the vampires to their death. One vampire that was part of said security team allowed one of the most important humans to escape."

The faces of each vampire that was a party to the capturing of the FoTSs members had the looks that were reminiscent from the days of old; the hunt, the chase, the capture, the fresh blood, and the draining. It was hard to tell which one let the most important human go.

"May I?" Pam asked before she let Bill continue speaking. Not waiting for an answer from Bill, she began.

"The ones that were captured were a part of the BVA. The FotSs members are becoming much more prominent in the human government. After a lengthy discussion with Bill, he decided that I was right when I said that is where the FotSs members are getting their information when it comes to our kind. They are going to do whatever they can to destroy us. And if Bill's security team is unable to handle the task of protecting their regent or our kind, we need to rethink their existence.

"The human that was allowed to escape was the human that had 'evidence' against our brethren. These FotSs members took pictures of the now dead vampires feeding from the infected humans. The pictures demonstrate the humans looking as if they are in excruciating pain. There was one that showed the blood dribbling from the vampires' mouths. I must say," she added with a snort. "It did _not _show our kind in a very attractive light."

As she continued to talk, Pam left my side and leisurely began walking the room. Each of the visiting vampires watched her. When she reached Bill, she stopped and placed her cold, hard hand on his shoulder as she continued to fill me in on the happenings of my regent's territory.

"One of the vampire's that captured the FotSs members let the one with the camera get away. It would have been forgivable if the camera had not been in full view," Pam said with an insignificant squeeze to Oklahoma's shoulder. "Or if the one that let them get away wasn't the head of security. But it _was_ in full view and the one that let the human get away _was_ the head of security. So, now because of this slight faux pas, the BVA members are thought to have the pictures of the now dead vampires feeding on the humans. The leader that was sent out with this band of incompetents didn't act as a leader. If anything, the photographer should have been the first one to be captured."

As Pam spoke, thousands of questions raced through my mind about what we could to do take care of the FotSs members and obtaining the camera. We needed to get to the head of our problem. If we cut off the head, the rest will follow. Steve Newlin and his wife need to be dealt with and soon.

Pam continued speaking of the plans that the BVA and FotSs members had in store for us. "The pictures are going to be used as leverage. There is a televised meeting that is going to be held and I have a feeling that the pictures will make their appearance then. We have to get those pictures."

I had to force myself to remain polite upon hearing of the idiot vampire's blunder. I wanted to show them how to handle the humans without making such stupid mistakes. I wanted to take matters into my own hands and kill each FotSs member one at a time but I could not for fear of pushing our cause further back into the dark ages. We have come too far to be deprived of what we have so clearly earned. I have no doubts that we will prevail but we have to stay within our boundaries. We will silently and fairly take what is owed to us and what is ours. We did not want a war but the actions of the FotSs members will not go unnoticed. They will pay greatly.

When Pam completed her update, she leaned close to Bill's ear and asked, "I didn't gloss over anything, did I? I am accurate in saying that your vampire fucked up? If I have overstepped my boundaries or if I've given any misinformation, please, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm not used to being told that I'm wrong but you can let me know if I am."

"Pam," I ordered.

Though she was right, Pam had a way of saying things that only made matters worse and with the way things were going within the vampire community that is the one thing that we did not need …not now.

She returned to her earlier place at my side. "Sorry, master."

I then gave each vampire that was sitting at the conference table a long stare before speaking. "Who was the vampire that let the one with the camera go? We cannot have a vampire within our ranks that does not have the capacity to decipher which humans to capture. Each of those humans needed to be taken. One is no more important than the other when it comes to our existence. That judgment call is a threat to our very being. Ignorance and the lack of common sense are not an apt justification. Is he with us?"

The vampire stood slowly from his seat. His face was one that I had seen many times before. He worked for me for quite a few years; Josh. When he asked if he could be free to return to his home state of Oklahoma, I did not hesitate. He was a loyal subject and granting his wish was one that I willing gave. I even contacted the regent's home and offered Josh's services as a way for him to be allowed to stay there. I told Bill of Josh's exceptional fighting abilities and his astonishing talent of being able to disguise himself. He would have been accepted regardless of his credentials but I wanted to tout his extraordinary skills in order to give him a higher position. Now he had to pay. He has made me out to be a liar.

"Stand before me and explain your actions," I said. Thalia was soon behind me with arms still crossed behind her back.

When he was standing before me, Josh began to speak. The awkwardness and fear that was coming from the vampire was noticeable. "It happened so fast, your highness. The humans were scattered about. We caught as many as we could. I was so concerned with the ones that had killed our comrades. I felt that they were more important." Josh looked on as if I should accept the dreadful decision that he made.

"_You_ felt that _they_ were more important?" I asked.

"Yes, sir," he whispered.

Resting my elbows on the arms of my chair, I leaned back and looked at the vampire. "What happened to the humans that you captured?"

"After glamoring and questioning them, we drained them and disposed of the bodies." Josh was becoming more and more anxious as my icy stare washed over him.

"I see," I said. "Stop me if I am wrong. Instead of capturing _all _of the humans and taking them _all_ to your superior, you only captured two of the humans. _You_ felt that the ones that killed the vampires were the most important ones to take care of. _You_ saw the human with the camera but felt that it was best to let him or her go because they did not kill the now dead vampires. Even though they were taking pictures of the vampires feeding from the humans; _you_ assumed that the murderers were more important. Am I correct in what I've surmised thus far?"

"Yyyy-es, your majesty," he stammered. The awkward vampire that was standing before me was now a stuttering and shaking mess. The careless vampire that stood before me was fearful and ashamed. I shouldn't have had to make him see what he should've been aware of all along. He should have known what actions to take.

"You realize that your judgment call could possibly be the undoing of all that we've worked for. The publication of the pictures will fall upon your shoulders. It is your burden."

"Yes," he whispered.

I looked at Bill and said, "You understand what is to happen."

"Yes, your majesty," he stated.

I stood and rolled my powerful yet stiff shoulders as I gave Thalia a sudden nod. My vampires gathered around me and the Oklahoma vampires remained seated. Josh looked at me and pleaded with his eyes but did not speak with his mouth. It's dishonorable when you know that you are about to meet the final death and beg for your undead life; particularly when you know that there is no likelihood of deliverance.

Josh dropped to his knees when he knew what was coming. Without looking, I held my hand out to Thalia. She placed the stake in my hand. "Do not think that you were not valued and respected as a vampire. At one time, I would have believed you to be more than the head of a security team. You had great potential but alas, you have failed me. The hard work and service that you provided to your kind was quite exceptional …long ago." I made sure that he saw the disappointment and disgust on my face.

I'd pushed the stake into his heart before Josh even had a chance to see what was coming his way. The expression on his face never changed. The stake made a soft squishy sound as it landed on top of the black and bloody remains of the now dead vampire.

A treacherous grin crossed Pam's face; her gaze meeting mine. Her fangs were extending in a deliberate and voracious glide. "Beautifully done, master," she said. "Thalia, have someone clean that up."

Within seconds, there were newly made vampires cleaning the mess. Pam and Thalia believed that it was good practice to have the new vampires see the remains of their fallen brothers. It taught them to stay in line.

When the mess that was Josh was cleaned up, I returned to my seat. "I'd known Josh for many years and did not hesitate to end him. Make the same mistakes as he and you will suffer the same fate. Understand, your loyalty to your king is greatly appreciated but your loyalty to your kind is just as important."

Bill repeated my sentiment and agreed with the sentence of final death for any vampire that doesn't take the proper course of action. He really had no other choice but to agree with me. Bill was trying to be an excellent leader and it was not hard to see that he was taking my expert tutelage in stride.

"The next punishment will be yours to hand down. It's time that you took the reins," I said. "When the next summit has been scheduled, I will make the announcement then and the kingdom will belong to you."

The flash of appreciation passed across the vampire's face. "Thank you," escaped his lips.

Before the meeting ended, I filled the vampires in on Russell's plan on what we are to do when it comes to handling the FotSs. "There will be no escaping for them. There will be no leniency. Compassion is not shown for us and none will be given in return but remember; keep it private and clean. Keep it out of the public eye. I want you all to know this and to heed my warning. If there is even a hint of betrayal, final death will be too good for you and it will not come quickly."

I looked around the room at the vampires in attendance. I wanted them to look into my eyes and know that I will stand my edict. "If there's nothing else, the meeting is over. As I previously stated, there are nine enticing humans available for your choosing. Enjoy," I said with a sweep of my hand.

Before the vampires went to enjoy their dinner, Bill was the only one to notice that there were only enough humans for everyone but me. "I don't mean to sound unappreciative, my king, but you said that there are nine humans for us to feed from. There are ten of us. That includes you. You are not feeding tonight?"

"I am not," I responded. Those closest to me know that I haven't fed from another human since I've been with Sookie. She wanted me to be faithful to her in my feeding and sexual needs. Despite the fact that I am a vampire, I freely gave those vampiric habits up for her. Even after she was taken, I remained faithful in my feeding and sexual needs. She may have been gone but my loyalty to her remained.

"Thank you, Eric." Each vampire thanked me for my generosity and consideration. Unlike the others, Bill continued telling me of his appreciation.

"Thank you for the faith that you have in me and for your hospitality. I will not let you down. You have trusted me enough to give me this position and I will make you proud. I swear that to you on the blood."

"You have proven yourself to be able and you have done an outstanding job with your territory. It is time that I relinquish my hold on you and let you be the king that I know you can be." I could see the pride as it filled his cool brown eyes.

When I suffered through my loss, Bill was an amazing help to me. He and Bubba took care of the yard work of Sookie's Bon Temps home. They willingly helped her Uncle Dermot and made sure that there was nothing that he needed. Bill made sure that Jason and his family remained safe. He handled business dealings in Arkansas and Oklahoma for me while Pam took care of Louisiana. I offered her the kingdom of Arkansas but she would not leave me. She'd made a promise. Bill made the same promise but keeping busy kept his mind active and off of Sookie. Bill Compton earned this title of regent and he deserved it. He bowed deeply to me. He thanked me once again for my kindness and went to join the others.

When he was gone, I called Pam to me.

"Master."

"Make sure that they're secured to their quarters at least an hour before dawn. I don't want them roaming the halls while she is here. I want to keep her safe and protected. Anyone caught near her without any of her vampires or her Weres around, will be handled. I want them killed on sight. I don't care who it is."

"As you wish, master," she said.

"She had a memory, Pam." She looked at me as she waited for me to explain. "She remembered that I tried to glamor her when I'd first met her. That was the night that she came to Fangtasia with Bill."

"Ahhhh, I remember that night. She saved our asses." Standing closer to me, she asked, "Do you believe Bill's going to recognize her? He was in love with her at one time."

I remained silent longer than required before I answered her. I stared at Bill as I reflected on the past relationship that he had with Sookie. Instinctively, my fangs made an appearance. "We're not going to find out. If he does remember her and now that I will be giving him his own territory, he could possibly try to use her. Her gift would be of great significance to him. I'd end him first." I continued to stare at him as he facetiously sniffed and fondled the humans. He still hadn't selected a human to his taste; making his underlings wait.

"We will keep her out of harm's way," Pam said. "We won't lose her again." When I looked at my child, I knew that she meant it. Her face and the bond were filled with fight.

"Is Indira still guarding her room?"

Before Pam could answer me, I heard it.

"Eric."


	43. Chapter 43

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 43**

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Your time is valuable and it makes me feel so good to know that you are giving it to me and my story. I wanted to give you all three chapters this week as a big thank you. It's the least that I can do. Please enjoy and have a great week. This chapter will also show that Sookie is beginning to remember bits and pieces. If I didn't send you a private thank you, forgive me. It was an oversight on my part. It is never my intention to skip over anyone.**

**The main characters belong to Charlaine Harris. The story idea is mine.**

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><p>Before she could come downstairs I had her in my arms and back in our... back in her bedroom. She doesn't realize what she could have done. If I had a heartbeat, it would have been loud enough for Sookie to hear.<p>

As I was closing the door, I listened to Pam explain my sudden departure to our unannounced guests. "Please gentlemen," she said. "Continue making your choices. The dawn will be with us before you know it; especially if you want to enjoy your humans. You don't want the dawn to keep you from being FULLY satisfied, now do you? I can promise you that these gifts that were presented by your king are priceless. You will be in his debt for all time with just one taste. But be gentle; they are human virgins."

The vampires returned their attentions to the lovely ladies standing before them. They seemed to have forgotten about my hasty retreat and went back to inspecting their meals and thinking of their pleasure.

Sookie touched my arm; bringing me back to the here and now. "What was that all about? What's going on?"

When I looked at Sookie, I couldn't believe my eyes. Her hair was blonder than it was earlier tonight. I could almost see the sun beams shining in her hair. Her skin felt softer and smoother than before. Her eyes were bluer and her lips were fuller. Her body was curvier and more voluptuous than I've ever known it to be. The white gown that she was dressed in made her tan stand out more. I pulled her to me and began to kiss her... slowly and sensually; letting the love and desire that I felt for her flow through our bond. She willingly returned my affections.

I managed to stop myself before taking her to our bed. When I looked into her eyes, it dawned on me that it was not hard to do. I've always thought that Sookie is the most beautiful being I'd ever seen but tonight …I just wanted to love her, be with her, and hold her. She had provoked every sexual and vampiric need I've ever had but I wasn't feeling the need to claim her or to force her to be at my side. I found that I wanted to take it slowly. I wanted to give her the relationship that she wanted when she was the old Sookie. I wanted to walk her through her memories but I was willing to wait for her to remember on her own. I must have looked like a starry eyed teen because she had a confused look on her face.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she placed her hand on my face. "Are you ah… hungry? If you need to eat, I'll stay up here and you can go and feed with the other vampires. I know that there are humans downstairs." She tapped the side of her head. "I can hear them. But listen, you shouldn't have to drink that old nasty bottled blood if you have those human women down there."

I could feel her hurt at the thought of me feeding from anyone other than her. Little does she know she has absolutely no need to worry.

"Really, I won't be offended. I've read that vampires prefer human blood to the bottled blood. It's probably filled with all kinds of vitamins and stuff."

I looked down at her and smiled. I'd hoped that she would have offered herself to me but I was going to be patient enough to wait until she was ready. I've never forced her to feed me or make love to me and I would not do it now. I could feel her distress concerning my well-being but the words would not leave my mouth. I wasn't concerned with eating. I wanted to tell her what I was feeling instead.

I wanted to tell her that I think that she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I wanted to tell her that I will wait for her for as long as it takes. But I was unable to speak. So I did what comes naturally. I let my hands drop to trace the outline of her hips. My hands gripped the smallness of her waist. I kissed each of her eyelids lightly. Though I couldn't speak, touching her and kissing her was another way for me to show her what I needed.

When I stepped back and looked at her, she was smiling at me and the words came to me.

"I want no one else," I said as I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and enjoyed the soft touch of her skin.

A small burst of desire hit me though her face revealed only a smile. "That's good to know," she said. "But I want to know if you're okay. You look startled or as if something had surprised you. Did your meeting go well?"

"Yes," I choked. I could feel myself getting nervous all over again. She was going to be the end of Eric Northman. "I …I …heard you ...You needed ... so I came to you …when I …when I … and... I thought and that's when ...you are absolutely gorgeous."

I stuttered! I fucking stuttered!

Her face relaxed and she gave me an exquisite smile. She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Soap and water," she said. "There ain't anything that a nice, hot shower can't fix."

Soap and water would never fashion such results. I knew what caused the sudden change in my wife's appearance. It had to be that one dribble of blood. I was completely stunned with the way she looked. I wanted to make love to her and taste every inch of her body. My body was aching for hers. I've never known such a longing in all of my existence. I closed my eyes and did as humans have had to do for many years. I counted to ten in hopes that I would be able to compose myself. It worked; though I had to count to two hundred.

"What I meant to say was that when you called for me, I thought that you needed me. It seems that all is well?" I asked as I looked around the room. Indira was nowhere in sight. She will be punished for her disobedience.

"I do need you but I have something to tell you." Sookie let out a heavy sigh as she waited for me to prepare myself. "First of all, I am a fighter. I have a fierce and protective nature when it comes to those that I love. If I can stop any harm from coming to them, then I will do it. I will fight to the death for them." In her sweet Southern accent, she said softly, "I have the tendency to be too passionate and too protective. Sometimes I may go a little overboard." She shuddered when she said that.

I almost asked her what she'd done that made her believe that her lioness approach to her enemies is overboard but I held my tongue. But I had to admit; her explanation was one helluva way to start a conversation. My lover had managed to surprise me once more.

"Explain that to me, lover?"

"Come sit with me," she said as she grabbed my hand and led me to the bed.

She looked at me for awhile as if she needed to search for the right thing to say. Just like my old Sookie, her emotions were calm and her expression was still. I couldn't tell then and I can't tell now what's going on in that head of hers. Finally, because her posture had changed, she was ready to make her revelation.

"Do you remember me telling you that I'm telepathic?"

"Yes, I do."

"Have you ever met any other telepaths?"

Truthfully, I answered, "No. You're the only one."

"My telepathy is …quite strong. I can hear thoughts at different distances. If we were driving down I95, I would be able to hear the thoughts of the truck driver twenty miles up the road; if I have cause to. I can pinpoint who I want to listen to. If that driver is twenty miles up the road, I can feel him; his emotions and hear his thoughts. If I touch someone; humans, Weres, or shifters, I can get a feel of what they've done, what they want to do or what they plan to do. I can sense when someone's up to no good.

"The older I get, the more sensitive I am to the feelings of others. I guess it's because of ...oh I don't know …that doesn't matter anyway. My godfather was the best teacher when it came to understanding what I can do. Desmond had to teach me control because for some reason, I was different than when he first started working with me. He said that my will to fight had grown enormously. He said that I used to be so soft and quiet. Something had obviously happened to make me blood thirsty. I would have a hankering to hurt my enemies. I didn't like feeling that way." She shook her head when she said that. "I _loved_ feeling that way."

Before we killed Victor, Pam told me that Sookie had changed. She noticed that Sookie was more inclined to kill than she was before. She was more apt to do whatever it took to save those she loves and to survive. I could only guess that those same instincts were even stronger when she returned to me. I for one am more than happy about my wife's new killer instinct.

"There were times when things would happen that I couldn't control but now I can stop it. The catch to me stopping it is that I have to want to stop it. And believe me. I _really_ have to want to stop it. If Indira hadn't been in here tonight, there's no telling what I would have done. I'm a little more ...ummmm, dangerous ...I think that's the right word to use, than your everyday telepaths. If I let my anger get the best of me, it would not be good. But I can control it. Just like tonight for example." From the look on her face, I could tell that she thought that she was losing me. "You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this."

She wasn't losing me. She was surprising me. "I am."

Instead of telling me, she stood up from the bed and walked to the window that was facing the wooded area beyond the rose garden. Turning her head to look at me, she gave me a warm smile. With that one smile, I knew that she loved me. She gazed at me as if she was searching for something. The determination that I felt from her told me that she wasn't going to be satisfied until she found it. Before I knew it, she had her hands pressed against the window. A sudden burst of joy and happiness flooded the bond.

"Come here," she said as she continued to look out into the night.

When I reached her, she grabbed my hand. "Look," she said as she pointed into the darkness. "Out past those trees; do you see them?"

There were four humans and they were carrying a lifeless body. The body was that of a woman …no. It was a young girl. Blood was covering the front of her shirt. Her pants were gone.

"They've come to destroy you. The body that they carry is the body of a drained human. They were going to plant her body in the garden shed. They know that you are a vampire of great standing and if they can bring you down, they believe that many will follow. I didn't have to listen for them. I could feel their deception, their evilness."

My fangs extended at the knowledge that these humans have the audacity to plan such an act. My eyes were burning with hatred and murder. I began to formulate a plan in order to kill my 'would be' assassins and my guards.

"I don't understand why the guards have allowed them onto the grounds. They will be punished and I will kill the humans. Stay here lover; I will return. I will have the others assist me in …"

"No, you won't," she said with confidence. "It's already being taken care of. The guards didn't see them because I wouldn't let them. How would we capture them if they were stopped before they got here? Indira, Mustapha, and ...Warren are going to take care of them. Indira called Mustapha and they agreed to help me." A half grin appeared on her face. "Look at those stupid people. They honestly thought that they would get away with hurting you. Look at them. They even have smiles on their faces. They think that they've won."

My thoughts are plenty. How can she see what's going on the woods at 2am? How did she keep the guards from finding out about the trespassers? How did she get Mustapha and Indira to help her? I can't help but swell with pride at what she's done for me. In the beginning, Sookie would never have allowed a human to be harmed regardless of what they'd done to me or any other vampire. She would have rather that they be taken to the human authorities and only receive a slap on the wrist but now; my wife was fighting for me.

"So much hate is in their hearts. So much fear resides within them. They want to destroy you." With her arms now by her side, she said, "I won't let them. Watch this."

Just as the humans reached the clearing, two of the humans were gone. The other two stood there holding the dead woman by her legs; waiting, wondering what happened to their associates. The third human was taken before he had a chance to scream. The wolf had him by his throat; the grasp was so tight, no sound could have escaped if he'd tried. The last man was dead before he realized he was next. Each body, including the dead woman, was gone without a trace.

"They never saw us coming," Sookie whispered.

When I looked at her, she was happy. The smile that was now on her face resembled the one that I saw on my child's face earlier after I'd punished Josh. Sookie was filled with calm and pleasure at what she'd done for me. Her actions and her devotion made me swell with pride. I followed her back to the bed.

"Why would you do this for me, Sookie?"

"Because I love you," she said without question. "You're not like anyone I've ever met. You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. I see life in them, in you. I see humanity when I look at you." She reached over and touched my face. "You are so kind and so gentle to me. I can see that there is more to you than you being a vampire. I can see myself loving you for the rest of my life."

She beamed at me and I felt alive once more. She gave me a kiss that felt like a whisper. I wanted nothing more than to deepen that kiss and feel her body touching mine. But to feel her lips barely touching mine was enough. The bond told me that she was happy. This was best. This was right. But what she said next couldn't have shocked me more.

With her hand gently caressing my face, she said, "I remember that you saved me. I was in your bar."

"What?" I whispered.

"Tonight, I think I fell asleep while I was talking with Indira. In my dream, I could see you just as I'm seeing you now. You were upset because someone under your employment was stealing from you but you didn't know who it was. I don't know why I was there or what I had to do with it but I told you who that someone was. I read it in his human's mind and he was so mad. He attacked me. The vampire attacked me," she said. Sookie had a slight frown on her face as she tried to remember that night. I remembered as if it had just happened.

I had Bill bring her to me to find out who was stealing from me. It was Long Shadow. He was stealing from me in order to open his own bar and Sookie saw it in Ginger's mind. I remember how Bill only watched as Long Shadow attacked her. He didn't lift a finger to save her. She was loyal to him but he did not give her the same respect. He cared more about the vampire that was going to kill her. When we talked about the incident later, he said that he couldn't kill his own kind for a human ...then. He said that he has regretted his lack of action since that night.

"…and before I knew it, you'd killed him." She stared at me for a long moment before she spoke again. "The dream was so real. I thought that I was actually in your bar. I could smell the fangbangers and the blood. I could feel the floor underneath my feet. And you …I could see you. After killing him, you let me shower in your office and you gave me a long Fangtasia tee to wear. When I was leaving, I was going to thank you but you told me not to worry about it; it was your pleasure. You had Pam take me home. I came to your bar another night and that night you were sitting on a throne.

"I wanted to go and talk to you but you had so many people clamoring at your feet; begging for your attention so I didn't bother you. Just as I was about to leave, you saw me. I waved good-bye. You started smiling at me but you didn't try to stop me from leaving ...not verbally. You were trying to get me to come to you with your eyes but I wouldn't. You tried to glamor me." She waggled her finger back and forth at me when she said that. "Just like you tried to do to me tonight."

That's not how it happened at all but if that's the way she remembers then I will tell her no different.

I pretended to surprised and appalled that she would even think such a thing. I had even jokingly planned on telling her that I would never stoop to such an embarrassing level. "I, a vampire of my stature, would never stoop as low as to glamor someone to come to me. I have never had to glamor human women. They have all come to me on their own. They wanted me; yearned for me. They would have given their first born child to be with me."

"Please," she said jokingly as she rolled her eyes.

"But you can't blame me for trying. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," I said with a slight shrug of my shoulders. "Were you alone or were you with a friend?" I needed to know if she remembered Bill. "I cannot imagine a man letting you go to a vampire bar all alone."

"I was alone." She bumped against me and said, "You know that."

"Why were you alone?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I just needed to get out and meet some new people. I didn't date a lot. I've never had what you'd call boyfriends …until you." She leaned forward and kissed me.

I waited for her to say more. I wanted her to tell her about us. For a few agonizing minutes, she looked at me with tears glistening in her eyes. Her uncertainty was worrying her.

"I'm sleepy," she finally said.

I am determined that I am going to take better care of her. I am going to make sure that she gets the rest that she needs. Before, my only concern was that she was mine. That is going to change. She is never going to have to wonder what I feel for her. I now have a second chance and I'm going to take every opportunity that is afforded to me to show her just what she means to me.

I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You go to rest, my lover. I will see you at first dark tomorrow night." When I turned to leave, a well of hurt almost knocked me to the floor. I turned to look at her.

"You don't want to stay the night with me?" she asked softly.

"I do."

When I took that first step towards her, she sighed with relief. Instantly, she began speaking about an 'incident' in her past life with me. "You brought me flowers once. You were the only man to ever give me flowers. I think I was sick. I was in the hospital and my grandfather was there with me. He was holding my hand and when he went to the cafeteria to get some dinner, you came into my room. You remembered that I helped you with your thief and you brought me flowers as a thank you. At least I think it was you."

I nodded. "It was me."

She'd been attacked and almost killed by that psycho Rene Lenier. He was in jail that night but last I heard he'd been killed in an unfortunate incident in the prison showers. He suffered so, poor fellow. And Niall wasn't the one in the hospital with her. It was Bill. She doesn't remember Bill.

"Will you stay the night with me?"

I grabbed her and pulled her into my embrace. "I'm honored that you would request my company tonight. It brings me great joy. But if you are to leave early tomorrow morning, you need your rest." I tried to make myself relax when I said that because the very thought of her leaving was killing me.

"I've changed my mind. I'm not going to go home. I'm going to stay here with you. I don't want to leave you."

I kissed the top of her head and relief flooded through me. I'm happier than I was when she first walked into the bar. Being the vampire king that I am, I remained as majestically as I could.

"I am glad to hear that. I am pleased that you have made this decision."

She stepped back from my embrace and looked at me. Her face was turning red because it looked as if she was holding her breath. Her cheeks had puffed out to twice their size. Unexpectedly, she was laughing. She'd doubled over from laughter.

When she was able to stand, she said, "You are such a nerd. _It pleases me_. Are you serious?" She laughed so much and so hard that tears started to fall from her eyes. "_It pleases me_." She crawled into bed and as she lay back onto her pillow, she pulled the covers up to her chin. She was still laughing when she patted my side of the bed.

I was upset that she would call me a 'nerd'. I've never been a nerd. As I thought about it, I realized that I had no idea what a nerd is. While kicking off my shoes, I asked Sookie, "What is a nerd?"

"You," she said when she was able to catch her breath.

"If nerds are as comical as you make them out to be, I have never been one and will never be one."

"Whatever. Get over it and get over here. I'm sleepy."

I lay down with her; pants and shirt still on. Though I wanted to hold her in my arms, I reached over and took her hand into mine. I didn't want to be presumptuous and pretend to know that she wanted me to hold her. Holding her hand was just as nice. It was more than I expected.

Sookie started laughing again. "See?" she said. "I told ya. You're a nerd. I didn't ask you to get into bed with me and hold my hand. I wanted you to get in bed and hold me… after you make this room lightproof so that we can rest together."

I rolled my head in her direction. "Are you sure?"

"Will you please?" her voice filled with exasperation.

Before she could change her mind, I had our room light proofed and secured. Soon after, my clothes and the bedroom lights were off and I was in the bed. Unfortunately, she was still giggling and calling me a nerd.

When I was settled in behind her, she scooted her body into the space that will always belong to her. Her head was resting on my arm as I enveloped her. She mimicked my movements and wrapped her arms around mine. I have missed this so much. The holding, the sharing, especially the loving; everything that took place between us tonight was more than satisfying.

"Thank you, Sookie," I said as I kissed and inhaled the sweet smell of her hair.

Lifting her head just a little to look at me over her shoulder, she said, with a hint of confusion in her voice, "What could you possibly have to thank me for?"

"For being with me, for sharing with me," I said.

I was almost ashamed of saying those things to her. I'd never said anything like that to her before. She always said it to me. I closed my eyes and decided that there was no need in being embarrassed of my feelings for her.

"You've made me very happy. I never thought that I would be this happy ever again. And I am and it's because of you. I just wanted to let you know what you've done for me and I'm forever in your debt." I rested my forehead against the back of her head and waited. I waited for her to call me weak and spineless. She did the opposite.

With my arms still around her, she turned to face me. She placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. She didn't speak. Her eyes searched my face as she kissed me. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. She leaned into me and kissed me once more.

"Goodnight, Eric. I love you," she said.

"My lover," I whispered.

She started to giggle before she said it; "Nerd."

Once she was fast asleep, I propped myself upon my elbow and watched her; the smile that was on her face never faltered. When the dawn started pulling me to rest, I struggled against it with all my might. For just five more minutes, I wanted to enjoy my happiness.

Just five more...


	44. Chapter 44

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 44**

**I hope that you all enjoy these extra chapters. I have been working really hard at getting this story done so that I can devote my time to the other story. I never should have started two stories at once. It's harder to do than I thought. I haven't forgotten about my other story, I'm on a roll with this one and I'm scared that if I stop, I'll lose my flow. Please bare with me and I thank you all for your time. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and making this story one of your favorites. Also, thanks for the alerts. You guys are the best.**

**I do NOT own Southern Vampire Mysteries. They belong to Charlaine Harris. I'm just manipulating the characters for fun!**

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><p>When I woke up the next morning, the room was completely dark. The emotion of fear was never a consideration. Everything was familiar to me. I only felt contentment, safety, and longing and it was all because of Eric. I was comfortable in my surroundings and I never wanted to leave. And it too was because of Eric. I could see him lying next to me just as clearly as I saw those men in the woods last night.<p>

Without hesitation or thought, I pulled the covers from his body and I gasped at its magnificence. His sculpted body was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I let my fingers twirl around the blond hairs on his chest as I leaned over and kissed him. His lips were warm as I brushed them with mine. I admired the strength of his jaw, the smoothness of his skin. His lips were so soft and pink. He is so beautiful. He is so smart. He is the one; the only one. There is no other man in this world for me.

I deserve a man such as Eric. I have the qualities that would make any vampire proud. I'm strong and brave. I am fiercely protective of belongs to me and those that I love. And I know that I can love him better than anyone else can or ever will. Eric is mine. We are meant to be. I know that I was meant for him.

I remember not too long ago when grandpa said that we all have our life mates chosen for us. Eric is mine. Why else can I feel him? He's a part of my soul. We are made for each other. It bothers me very much that I know this but I don't know _how_ I know this. I know that he has gone above and beyond to save me. He has always been there for me. He has always loved me. It kills me that I don't know how I know these things. And none of it I know for sure but it just feels right when I'm with him. It feels so right when he touches me and kisses. He is meant for me.

"You're mine." I lovingly kissed him again. I let my fingers trail over his face. "Where are these memories and feelings coming from?" I asked him as I nuzzled his neck. I closed my eyes as I inhaled his scent. I could almost feel myself drifting into him; into his mind, into his dreams.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in our bedroom. We were in an old farmhouse and lying in front of a fireplace. Eric was drinking the blood that I'd warmed for him and I was drinking a glass of lemonade. It was pleasant and comforting to be with Eric. I wasn't exactly sure why we weren't but for some reason I knew that we weren't lovers …yet. We were no more than friends. We wanted to be more but both of us were afraid. He was just as unsure of himself as I was. Maybe we had been friends for so long, we were afraid that a relationship would ruin things for us. But it was obvious that we wanted to be a couple. We wanted to take care of each other. We wanted to love each other.

The vision slowly began to fade from view. I snuggled deeper into his side. The closer I snuggled into him the more the memory began to become more and more vivid. I felt that if I had reached out, I could have felt the warmth of the fireplace. I draped my arm over his chest and kept my eyes closed as I continued to spy in on Eric's dreams.

When I went back to the farmhouse and we were lying in front of the fireplace. I'd put a blanket over his legs because I thought that he would be cold. Being that he is a vampire, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I just wanted to take care of him since he's always taken care of everyone else and no one had ever taken care of him. In that moment, I knew what that was like.

His back was leaned against a chair and I was lying on the floor talking to him. He listened as if I was the first person he'd spoken to in years. He then cracked a joke about something. I try to listen closely but ...I started to giggle with dream Eric and Sookie. We were all laughing because he called the blanket ugly …no hideous …truly hideous. Those were his exact words. Before I knew it, we were lying on the hearth rug and we were sharing our pasts with each other and our presents. There were no uncomfortable silences. There was no sexual tension. We were friends. We were just being friends.

We were lying side by side in front of the fireplace and our legs were intertwined. We were bringing our legs up and down as we laughed and talked to each other. Our shoulders touched. We laughed at each other's jokes; including the ones that weren't funny. Eric threw the blanket …no, the quilt …it was an afghan. It was a blue and green afghan. He threw the afghan over both of us. When I looked into his eyes, I could see that he needed me, he wanted me. We were lost in each other's eyes and just as I leaned in to kiss him, the vision began to fade.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in bed with Eric; my sweet, sweet, Eric. He isn't evil as those men from last night thought. He isn't evil like most humans believe that all vampires are. None of the vampires I've met have been cruel. They've been wonderfully nice to me. If anything they've been protective of me. They're not killers like that; especially not Eric. He doesn't kill for sport. He and the other vampires aren't any different than humans. Humans have been killing for years and not always in self defense - wars, genocide, massacres, murder. No, Eric's not like that.

The more I get to know him I can't see him being as cruel as some believe him or his kind to be. If the being; be it human, vampire, or Were, was causing harm to my loved ones or putting their lives in danger, I would take matters into my own hands. That's what any normal person would do. That doesn't make him or anyone else evil. It makes him human. It makes him protective of what is his.

As I rested my head on his chest, I repeated my thoughts aloud. "You're no less human than I am. You just do what needs to be done. It's our duty to protect those that we love; regardless of how it's done."

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><p><strong>8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8o8<strong>

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><p>I woke up ready to fight and to defend what is mine. My posture had stiffened and my body was vibrating with magic. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.<p>

Within seconds, I had on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. When I turned the knob to the bedroom door, it wouldn't open. I squeezed my eyes closed. I'd forgotten that Eric secured the door last night and he hadn't given me the code. I had no choice but to pop myself from the room but I had to be sure of my surroundings. Desmond and grandfather always told me to be sure of my surroundings before using my magic. So I closed my eyes to search for the closest human or Were mind. No one was on this floor. Every mind was a void.

With that in mind, I was standing outside our bedroom door. I listened to the minds that were plotting against Eric and those of his retinue. I could see the human that was letting her in. They were working together and so they shall fall together. I opened my eyes and fury raged through me.

"I'm protecting what's mine."

Using the palm of my hands, my hair was now in thick, black curls. My make-up was flawless; ice queen flawless. My eyes were now the brightest green. My clothes were no longer the jeans and tee-shirt. I was dressed in a black pantsuit with a bright green silk blouse. Bright green heels completed the ensemble. I reached down at my side and picked up my briefcase. My cell phone was at my ear and I was talking a mile a minute. I had to appear to be the ever busy assistant. As I headed downstairs, my thoughts were about the prey that awaited me.

In the living room, there sat a lady that looked as sweet as pie but her insides were as ugly as the devil. She had to be at least thirty-five. Her look was quite pleasant. She had short brown hair and it was cut in the page boy style. She wore glasses that were meant to mask her hateful appearance. Her beige lipstick and fingernails matched perfectly. Her cotton plaid shirt and khaki skirt were quite becoming. I hated the woman that sat before me but her wedges were to die for.

When she saw me, she stood up and gave me the fakest smile I'd ever seen. She thought that her sweet smile and innocent look made her more likeable. She was surprised to see me. She was under the impression that she was going to have to wait until first dark to meet with a vampire but she could handle me …or so she thought. She'd bat her eyes and smile at me and she'd be in the door. She just knew that the vampires would see that she was the type of person that they would trust. She's right. But I am here and she'll never get the chance to find out.

I'd just ended my 'call' when I reached the deceitful woman. I offered her my hand. She eagerly jumped from her seat and pumped my arm up and down. I wanted to kill her right then.

"Hi, I'm Angela Anderson. A friend of mine, Casey Cook, told me about the job working as a vampire's assistant. She said that the pay is really great. I know that I would do a wonderful job. There are so many things that I can do to make it so much better for us all. So, here I am." She was full of smiles and bullshit.

Her name is not Angela Anderson. It's Sarah Newlin. She needn't worry about the pay or any changes that she could make. She wasn't going to get the job. She wasn't going to be leaving here this evening.

With bubbly enthusiasm, she said, "I think that I would be a great addition to this house. I'm sorry for talking so much. I ramble when I get nervous." She then smacked her hand against her head. "Here I am talking a mile a minute and I haven't given you a chance to introduce yourself."

She expected me to smile at her but I did not. If I'd smiled falsely, she would have seen my true nature. She would've seen what I want to do to her.

"I'm Paola Vasquez (pronounced POW-la). I'm going to be the one that's going to be interviewing you today."

My straightforwardness disturbed her. She was second guessing her charms. It dawned on her that she's not as fabulous as she thought she was.

"Great," she said as she flashed her pearly whites at me. Fumbling a little, she handed me a little file with her information in it. "Great. These are my references."

"Thank you," I said. Still stoic, I commended her on being prepared. "It's good to see someone that comes prepared for a job interview. You have no idea how many people come to me looking for a job but have nothing that we've asked requested. It gets so frustrating."

Using my keen sense of sight, I had her follow me to an office and a beautiful office it was. Everything was made of the most expensive woods. The drapes that hung in from the windows were thick brocade fabric. The burgundy carpet was plush and made me feel as if I'd shrunk down to five feet tall. The desk was huge and the chair that was behind it was meant to let those that sat before the occupant of said chair, know that they are menial and are beneath him; perfect for today's meeting. This office made it look as if I was really going to interview her. This was just so wonderful.

"This office is amazing!" That was the first truthful thing she'd said since I'd met her.

"After you," I said as I motioned for her to walk ahead of me. "Take the seat in front of the desk, please."

As she walked away, I quietly locked the door behind me. I stood behind and watched her as she placed her purse on the floor. I walked slowly to where she was and noticed how she was taking in her surroundings. When I reached the desk, I sat in the intimidating chair and looked down at her. I her told to give me a moment to look through her references …her doctored references. As I did, I listened in on her thoughts.

_'__I'll bet she's fucking one of them; probably the big blond one. She looks like his type. She seems very efficient though. She would have been a great addition to our cause but no one would be able to fully trust her. It's a shame that she hangs out with vampires. She looks like a really nice woman. She's probably from a good family too. I'll bet good money that they are ashamed of her. If she was my sister or daughter, I would be. What a shame. She could have been one of us but she's contaminated now.'_

She was thinking those ugly, ugly thoughts the entire time she was smiling at me. When I looked at the last page of her references my only thoughts were of the punishment that I was going to bestow upon her. I placed her impeccable file in the desk drawer. She was still watching me; smiling. I was now watching her; fuming.

"Ms. …I do apologize. Is it Miss, Ms, or Mrs.? I want to be sure that I don't offend you."

'_You've already offend me,'_ she thought. _'Vamp fucking whore.'_ "Oh, don't worry about that. You can call me Angie. All of my friends call me Angie. May I call you Paola?"

My thoughts were that I would be calling her dead in just a few minutes. "No, you can call me Ms. Vasquez."

She was taken aback. She didn't expect that. She couldn't believe that her outstanding charms hadn't worked on me. "I do apologize," she whispered.

"Well, since I'm not your friend, I'll call you Mrs. Newlin. Oh, I'm sorry. Mrs. Sarah Newlin. Will that suffice?" Resting my forearms on the desk and interlinking my fingers, I finally returned her phony smile but from the look on her face, my smile has scared the phony smiles and bullshit right out of her.

The widening of her eyes gave her away. She began thinking of a way to get out of the office. Her nervousness vibrated throughout the room. She was thinking fast on her feet but didn't realize that it was too late.

"You see it too? So many people think that I look like her. I find it offensive considering the type of person that she is."

She leaned forward and touched my hand. Big mistake on her part; I could see that she planted two video camera bugs in the living room …one in the crevice of the fireplace and one in the fake flowers closest to the door. She'd even placed a recorder underneath the chair that she was sitting in.

"Hmmm," I said as I nodded. I leaned back in my chair and looked at the woman. I couldn't decide on whether or not I wanted her to scream or if I wanted to keep her from screaming. After a few seconds of think, I decided that I was going to have to deny her screams. It'll only cause more problems.

"Ms. Vasquez," she said weakly. "Are you okay?"

I waved my hand at her and laughed. "Oh, yes. I was just trying to decide on how I'm going to kill you."

I wasn't sure if I wanted the others in the house to know what was going on or not. I didn't want to alarm them but on the one hand I wanted them to know what would happen if they betrayed Eric. But then again, I couldn't let them know what I could do.

When I turned my attentions back to Sarah, she was as white as a sheet. Her mouth was hanging open and her fear had saturated the room. She was shaking and on the verge of tears.

"You have put me in a quandary, Mrs. Newlin. I can't let the others hear me kill you but I want them to know what will happen if they betray the people that live in this house. If I let them know that I've killed you, how would I be able to trust them? I'd have to kill them all and then I would have to interview a whole new batch of employees. If I find a traitor in that bunch ..." I made a slicing motion with my finger across my neck. "I'll have to start the entire process all over again. Problems, problems, problems; you're more trouble than you're worth." I giggled.

Her mouth was opened but only squeaks and squeals spilled from within her. The tears never made an appearance …not yet anyway.

Leaning forward, I said, "Sorry. I didn't catch that." I filled the office with my laughter.

She got up from her chair and ran to the door. She turned and she pulled on the knob. When Sarah realized that the door was locked, she unlocked and pulled it open … but she didn't get to open it by much. I slammed it closed.

She backed away from the door. She turned and looked at me. "What are you?"

"Pissed," I said.

She started running her hands through her hair and looking for a way out. She was really becoming frantic. The stench of fear had completely filled the room and it was not sweet.

"Don't act like this, Sarah. If you work yourself into a panic, you'll be all scared and you'll only make things worse for yourself. It doesn't have to end that way. You can die with some dignity. Don't you want that?"

She was shaking her head back and forth. "Please, I don't mean you any harm or anyone else. If you let me go, I'll never come back and I'll never mention your name. I promise." She was on her knees and begging. "Please, just let me go. I want to go home. I won't tell. You can trust me."

"You are such a liar. You've planted bugs in the living room." I got up from my chair and went the chair that she was sitting in and reached underneath it. She jumped two feet off of her knees. "And what's this? It's obvious that your promises mean nothing. How am I supposed to trust what you say?" I leaned against the desk with my arms folded over my chest and stared at the ugly mess that was before me.

"Please," she begged. The tears finally made an appearance.

"Why are you crying?" I looked at her with disgust. "I really hate people like you. When it comes to losing your life, you cry and beg and plead. When it comes to taking someone else's, you don't give it a second thought. You weren't crying when you came here to apply for this job. You weren't crying when you and your group of killers decided on your plan of action to kill vampires. You weren't crying when you came here to betray the vampires of this house. Why do you cry now?"

Her face was covered in mucus and tears. With each catch of her breath, she said, "Because …I …don't… want… to …die. Please …don't …kill …me. I'm …I'm…sorry."

With the speed of the wind behind me, I was kneeled before the soon-to-be dead Sarah Newlin. "Sorry?" I asked as calmly as I could. "The only thing you're sorry for is that you were caught. And stop that crying …tears have no affect on me. Stay as strong as you were when you made up this plan. Don't be a fucking coward. Don't die as the blubbering mess that is before me. Die with at least a drop of dignity. Stand by your beliefs."

I stood up and looked down at the cowering and pitiable creature that was now laying in the fetal position before me. I felt nothing but hate for her because she had nothing but hate for others.

"You came here to see them die."

She continued to cry.

"Get up, Sarah. In the last minutes of your life, show just a tad bit of dignity."

She slowly stood up and looked at me.

I went to the desk and grabbed a couple of tissues. Handing them to her, I said, "Please, clean your face. That is so unbecoming."

She sniffled as she cleaned her face. "You don't have to kill me. You could just let me go. When the walking corp ...vampires awaken, they could glamor me and make me forget everything." She almost sounded hopeful. I couldn't have that. There isn't an inkling of hope in her future.

"You were about to call them walking corpses. You beg for your life and yet you still call them names …disrespect them. Do you think that was smart on your part?"

She started to cry again.

"Stop crying. You're giving me a headache."

"I can't help it. I'm scared."

"You're scared. Oh, dear. You're anything but. You're not afraid. You didn't think that you were going to get caught. You're a terrible and evil person. Terrible and evil people shouldn't be afraid of anything. Have a seat."

With her shoulders slumped and defeated, she flopped back into the chair. I could see in her mind that she knew that I was never going to let her go. I could also see that she knew that she had nothing left to lose. She wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Sarah, I have to know. Why would they send you knowing that you could possibly be recognized? Your glasses are a terrible mask and your hair is shorter than your most recent picture but you don't look any different. I knew who you were right away."

She sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. "I volunteered. We didn't expect to have a ...whatever you are, doing the interview. I was supposed to sit and wait for a vampire to come and get me. I was supposed to make him or her want to bite me. How can our church advocate the destruction of the vampire race when we, the founders of the church, send others to fight the good fight when we sit back and watch? I felt that it was my duty as a leader to set an example to our followers."

I shook my head at her and said, "You're just plain stupid and pretty soon, you'll be dead."

"That was rude."

"But true. Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yes," she whispered. I heard her mumble that she wasn't stupid. She sat there and waited. What she was waiting for, I haven't the foggiest idea. "What do you want, Ms. Vasquez?" she asked as she threw her arms up in the air.

"Your phone, stupid; I need it."

She placed it on the desk and slid it in my direction.

"Are all of your contacts in here …you know, the FotSs members and BVA associates?"

"Yes."

"Can I have this?" I asked as I waved her phone back and forth.

"You may as well. What am I going to need it for?"

"True," I said. For the next few seconds, I transferred the numbers from her phone into mine.

"You don't mind if I destroy this do you?" I didn't wait for an answer. The phone was now gone; not a piece of plastic in sight. "You've done well."

Sarcastically, she said, "Oh thank you Ms. Vasquez for your much needed praise. If you don't mind, may I ask you a question?"

I nodded and said, "Go ahead."

"What are you?"

She'd stumped me. "You got me," I said. "I'm not sure."

"You're a fucking freak," she mumbled.

I had to laugh. I should've been insulted but I wasn't. I didn't really care what she thought of me. She's Sarah Newlin. What she thinks of me doesn't matter at all.

"Now, you're going to answer a question for me," I said. "Why do you hate them so?"

She looked at me with a frown on her face. "They're dead," she spat at me. "They're fucking dead and you people sleep with them. Necrophilia; it's what you call humans that fuck corpses. It's disgusting." She looked at me defiantly. "I can't believe that you have sex with these things …these corpses. You're hanging around those bloodsuckers. They are a perversion of nature. They are the most unholy of creatures and they belong in hell. And you're going to go with them if you've taken up their habits of killing."

"You're supposed to be a Christian?"

"I am," she said with attitude and her head held high.

"But you pass judgment on humans and other beings. They've done nothing to you. They have every right to be here just as you and I have. I will tell you this, Sarah, when it comes to those that I love, I will protect them. If it means taking your life, then so it is."

She laughed at me. I was beginning to respect her. She was standing by the convictions she earlier apologized for. "You will pay for what you're doing. You're helping deaders kill humans and you have no qualms about it. I will forever pass judgment on those things. They are nothing like me. I am a living, breathing entity. They drink blood. They are dead and cold. They are nothing."

I gave Sarah a curious look. "You're right about that. They're nothing like you. They're far better than you are."

She snorted and rolled her eyes at me. "Bitch," she said.

I stood up from my chair and leisurely walked around the desk. I leaned against it and folded my arms across my chest. I studied the woman's face as I thought about her death. I wanted the woman to suffer but there was no way that I was going to cause a bloody mess in Eric's home. Others knew where she was and they would use her disappearance against him. I had but one choice.

I looked at the woman and shrugged my shoulders. "There's only one thing for me to do." The smile that was on my face must have been just awful. Her grip on the chair seemed to tighten. "I'm sorry to say, Mrs. Newlin, you did not get the job." I placed my hands on either side of her head and twisted sharply. The crack of her spine was louder than I expected it to be but it was sweet music to my ears.

I went back to my seat on the other side of the desk and looked at my dead enemy. Her eyes were still opened but the look of surprise was gone. The look of hate was no longer on her face.

"Oh, well."

After removing a few things from the office and the living room, I went into the kitchen to request the company of her cohort. "Ms. Cook, you need to come with me."

When she saw me, she looked confused. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't think we've ever met. The master usually lets me know when he's hired new help." She stopped wiping down the stainless steel appliances and kept her eyes on me.

I looked at her and said, "Stop lying to me. He never tells you when he's hired new people. You're part of the kitchen staff. He has no reason to tell you anything about me. I work directly with him, not you. Now, I need to speak with you about the lady that you sent to apply for the job. Since you are her reference, I wanted to know if you would like to join us. She speaks very highly of you." I began to take a step back while still facing her. "If you don't want to join us ..." I shrugged my shoulders and turned to leave.

I heard her bustling behind me and she said, "Hold on. I'm coming."

"Oh, grab your purse. I've decided to let you leave early after the meeting. You deserve an afternoon off after the good work you've done today by sending Ms. Anderson to us. You don't know how long we've looked for someone like her. Her credentials are simply outstanding."

As we walked to the office, I let Casey's feelings and thoughts flow freely through my mind. Casey's pride was clouding her mind. She couldn't wait to get Sarah alone with her so that they could talk about today's triumph. Casey just knew that she would truly move up in the ranks now. She would probably get to meet Reverend Steve Newlin.

When Casey and I reached the office, I motioned for her to take the seat that was once Sarah's. Once I'd closed and locked the door behind me, I said, "She had to go to her car to get the rest of her paper work."

Casey was looking around the office and smiling. "I've never been in this office. It's pretty nice." She began stroking the arm of the chair as she looked around the room.

When I was standing before her, I said, "Before we get started, Ms. Cook, I would like to thank you for your help in sending Ms. Newlin to me."

Casey laughed nervously. She was no longer looking around the room as she stroked the arm of the chair. She was looking at me. "I know that she looks like her but she's ..."

"Don't try to play me for a fool, Ms. Cook. I knew who she was before I walked into the room. I even know that you were working with her. You two were ill prepared. Tell me; what organization are you with? Are you a FotSs or BVA member?"

She began to shake her head frantically. "I'm neither, ma'am. I only work ..."

"You can't lie to me." I reached over and touched her hand.

She looked at my hand and then at hers. She tried jerking it away but I held it as tight as I could without breaking every bone in her hand.

"You belong to the FotSs group. You've been sent here to spy and cause the vampires harm. You gave them the information that they needed to get onto Eric's compound last night. You told them about the job. But guess what?"

"What?" she whispered.

I dropped her hand as I smiled at her. "They didn't get to leave the dead body in the garden shed as you all planned. You know ...the body that you were supposed to find and report to the cops? None of them left here last night ...well alive."

Her face was completely drained of all life. Sweat was pouring from her. Just as Sarah did only moments before, squeals and squeaks were coming from her mouth instead of words.

"Look at me, Casey."

Once I had her eyes, I could feel her under my spell. I did what Desmond taught me to do. It was the first time I've been able to use my skill on an enemy and not have to reverse it. If he could see me now, Desmond would be so pleased.

"You can hear me, Casey."

"Yes."

This was going to be so much fun. "Will you smile for me and tell me that you're happy?"

She smiled broadly and she told me that she was happy.

"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to get into Sarah's car and drive away ...speeding. You're wracked with guilt for what you've done to Eric. You knew that the BVA and the FotSs wouldn't let you out of the group so you did what you had to do." I reached behind me and grabbed the suicide note from the desk. I'm a master at forgery. "You left this note so that when you and Sarah are found, they'll know why you killed her and then yourself. It was the only right thing to do. You couldn't stand to be deceitful any longer. You have grown to love the vampires. What you and the Newlins had planned was wrong. You are distraught with pain. You can't stop crying. There's a gun in the dash of your car. You understand what needs to be done and you will do it."

"I will." She was bawling when I gave her the car keys to Sarah Newlin's car. She stood up and said, "Should I go now?"

"Here," I said. I put the suicide letter in her purse and said, "Put your purse in the backseat but place the note in your lap when you're about to make atonement for your wrong doings. Now, you go on. It was nice meeting you."

She said, "Same here." I watched as the crying brunette left the office. I closed my eyes and let my mind travel through the other minds that were in the house. Their minds were clear and free of any debauchery.

I called the guards at the front desk. "Good evening. I'm Ms. Vasquez. I'm the new assistant to Master Northman. Casey is leaving now. Make sure that she does not return. She has been fired because she was caught putting spying devices throughout the master's house." I ended the call with nothing further being said.

"Well done."

I looked up and there was Desmond. I ran over to him and gave him a hug. "What are you doing here? Did anyone see you?"

He laughed his famous belly laugh. "You have always had an amazing sense of humor, my dear one. I wanted to check on you and I see that you are progressing at an alarming pace. I am extremely proud of you. Your kin would be pleased."

"Thank you. Would you like something to eat or to drink?"

"No, my dearest; I must go. I only wanted to make sure that you are well."

"I am but something is happening to me. Memories of a life ..."

He gripped my shoulders and kissed my cheek. "I can't help you with that. I just wanted to tell you good-bye."

I began to cry. "You can't leave me yet. You said that you would never leave me. You said that you would always be with me. There is still so much that I need to know. Where are these memories coming from, Desmond?"

"Paris awaits me my dear but in time. To you I will say this and then I will take my leave. I love you, my child and you will be just fine once you realize where true happiness resides." With that said, Desmond was gone.

I cried when he left because I knew that after today, I wasn't going to see him again. He wasn't coming back from Paris. He was gone. Knowing that there was nothing that I could do, I let exhaustion wash over me. I eyed the brown leather couch with longing and rested my weary head.

I had at least one thing that I could be proud of. I'd saved my boyfriend and my friends. I even smiled a little. I couldn't wait to tell Eric about what I'd done today. He was going to be so proud of me. I kinda felt sad that I couldn't find any more bad humans to get rid of but then I thought about Desmond's sage advice.

"It can't always be hunting season."

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><p><strong>AN: What do you think of our stronger Sookie? I hoped you enjoyed it.**

**Update: I never meant to disappoint w/the changes that I've made in Sookie but I'm basing my changes on how she realized the changes within herself in the next to the last book. She knew that she was different. The vampires saw the changes in her and she even acknowledged her changes. I think that the new Sookie, my Sookie, has accepted those changes because she loves Eric and her family. She finally understood that you take care of your own and you did what you had to do. That's the way I interpreted her changes and that's the way I decided to write it. I will again say that it was never my intention to offend anyone but I am not sorry.**


	45. Chapter 45

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 45**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Thank you for your time and the love that you give to this story. As you all know, I have read Deadlocked and I read it in less than 6 hours. So what if a couple of my clients were ignored? So what if I overlooked a couple of the cases that we had to prepare for INS. It was no big deal that I stay a couple hours over on my shift to fix my mistake. Was it worth it you ask? You're damned right it was worth it. I am in complete and utter torture because I have to wait for the next book. For those of you that haven't read the book, I wish that we could change places.**

**Anyway, enjoy and again; thanks for your support and your time.**

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><p>When I woke up, the sun was still shining and I was alone in the office. My cell phone was blinking and I knew that it was none other than Miss. Amelia Broadway. She'd left me a message that said that she would be coming to New Orleans to meet with a client and we could go to local happening club; The Night Life. She said that she would call me as soon as she got into town. She would be here by nine tonight and she wanted to know EVERYTHING. The fact that she was coming here made me happy.<p>

I'll have someone to go shopping with tomorrow morning. I needed to buy myself a couple of outfits. Shorts and t-shirts just weren't gonna cut it. I needed something nice to wear. What if Eric wanted to take me out on a romantic dinner or something? Soon after, I returned Amelia's phone call and told her that I'd be waiting.

I was going to go back to being Sookie Stackhouse but I thought against it. Eric didn't seem to want anyone to know that I was here last night. It must be because I'm not a vampire and it was a private meeting. He said that he doesn't want me involved in vampire politics and if that's what he wants then that's what I'll give him. I'll keep a low profile …for now.

After deciding to stay as Paola Vasquez, I went for a walk. But this time, I was dressed in cotton shorts and a tee-shirt. It felt good to be out in the summer day. It was kind of lonely with no one to talk to but it was beautiful just the same. A sudden memory of Gran hit me.

It was of us walking along the wooded areas of our home. Gran loved to catch up on what was going on in my life though nothing was going on in my life. That didn't matter to her. It was our time and it was special. That time with her made me happy and the smiles didn't stop coming.

When I was with Gran, I never had the feeling of being lonely because I never was. Gran was always with me and when she died, I had grandpa. They loved me. They accepted my differences and told me that my differences didn't make me odd or weird. They made me special. Gran said that people that talked about my weirdness was jealous. She said that I was everything that they wanted to be but couldn't be. A couple of days later she bought me a shirt that read '_I'm Not the One That's Weird You Are_'. And from that point on, I've never regretted who I am or what I can do. I couldn't help but smile as I explored my surroundings.

The trees and the flowers were beautiful. The dead things from winter had brought forth the most beautiful lives that summer had to offer. The trees and flowers had bloomed and their colors were magnificent. The greens were brighter and the trees even more beautiful than the year before. The grounds looked as if they could go on for miles and miles. The compound was huge and covered in the most beautiful magnolia and dogwood trees I'd ever seen. There were oleanders; dozens of them and they had given way to a dense grove of trees – pines, oaks, firs, and cedars. The grass was plush and the color of the deepest emerald green and reminded me of home. I walked along the paved driveway and admired the azalea bushes that lined it.

Sadly, there were large stucco walls that had to be at least fifteen feet high that kept everyone else from enjoying the view that I was allowed to see. It dismayed me to know that others weren't allowed to see the beauty that the owner's home was graced with. It may sound odd, but the vampire's home was full of life.

It was clear to me that Eric loved flowers and gigantic trees. I walked through the formal gardens and inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers. When I sat on the bench, butterflies and birds began to gather around. Their songs carried through the beautiful summer air. The bees buzzed gaily from flower to flower. The only disturbances were the minds of the Weres that were watching me; wondering who I am ...what I was doing on the master's property.

I couldn't let them know that I knew that they were there. So as innocently as any human would, I continued my exploration of the grounds. When I reached the guard houses, I waved happily to the occupants and began the trek back to the house.

From this view, I couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. It wasn't garish at all. It was quite unassuming considering it has five floors. The house had the feeling of old world magnificence and royalty. Its beauty was understated but obvious. The house was flanked on either side by two smaller buildings. They were miniatures of the main house. Even the garage looked like the main house and it was big enough for at least six cars. There's a terrace that's set so high that I felt that if I stood on it, I knew that I would have been able to see Shreveport if I'd tried. There were a lot of other smaller balconies that were connected to other rooms as well. A slight breeze swept around me. And immediately, it made me think of being at home.

The minds of the guards were slowly fading away. Now, I was being followed by only one Were guard. The further I walked, the quieter it became. Only one mind was following me now and he was close but not too close. I didn't fear him. There was no cause to. There was no threat in the air; only curiosity. The sounds of rushing water took my mind off of the Were that was trying to remain inconspicuous. I quickened my pace because I couldn't wait to feel the water washing over me. I had to catch my breath when I reached the sounds of the rushing water. It looked like the waterfall from our date. It was breathtaking.

I'd fallen in love. It was absolutely beautiful. It was an infinity pool. There was one at Amelia's dad's house in Jamaica. The water drops off and lands …nowhere in particular. I loved that one and I couldn't wait to enjoy this one. I dove into water and let it wash the day deeds of the away. The thoughts of Sarah Newlin and Casey Cook were no longer on my mind. When I resurfaced, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I sat on the edge of the pool and let the warm evening air blow over my body.

With my eyes closed and my face turned up to the sky, I smiled. "Hello, Mustapha. I was wondering when you would come out. Where are your friends? Did you send them away?"

The Were emerged from the woods and smiled broadly at me. "Yes, I did. I told them that the master doesn't want them near you. They are to patrol the house. Not the residents of the house."

I looked at him from the corner of my eye. He knows who I am. He just doesn't know how he knows me. "Join me?" I asked as I patted the edge of the pool.

Once he was seated, he took of his shoes and let his tootsies wade in the water. After staring at me for a quite some time, he said, "You are a mystery, mistress."

"Even to myself, Mustapha," I mumbled. While I kicked my feet back and forth through the water, I looked quizzically at my pool buddy. "Will you answer something for me?"

He laughed heartily. "Only if I can; after all we have only just met."

"If we've only just met, how did you know that it was me?"

He laughed. "Your scent, mistress," he answered. "I am a full blooded Were. You may not look the same but your scent doesn't change."

"Fair," I said. "Answer me this. Why do y'all call me 'mistress'? I am not the other woman. I'm not his wife. I'm just his girlfriend."

"You belong to the master. Since he is the master, you are the mistress."

I stared at him for a minute. I watched him as he kicked his feet back and forth in the pool. I think I even heard him giggle. I didn't know Weres could do that; giggle I mean. "You're awfully comfortable around me. How do you know that I won't tell the other Weres that you giggle? I could use that bit of info to blackmail you, you know."

He laughed and laughed loudly. "I have great intuition. You seem to be a pretty cool person. When I first meet people, I can usually sense their sincerity and you're not like any of the others I've met. You are of good heart."

"After what I did today, you probably won't think so."

"What did you do?" he said.

"Nothin' at all." Bumping his shoulder, I said, "I know that you've met me before. Where did we meet? Let me know how we met."

"Like I said, mistress, we've only just met."

Tilting my head to the side, I said, "You're lying."

He raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile at me. "Why would you say that?"

"I have a knack for sniffing out lies and there's another reason. You didn't think that I noticed it last night but I did. You called me Mrs. Northman. Why did you do that?"

He glanced at me briefly. "You must be mistaken, mistress. I never said that."

"You are such a liar," I said as I laughed at him. I was going to look into his mind but decided against it. No point in being in ruder. I've already called him a liar.

I closed my eyes and listened for the minds of the other Weres. No minds. No eyes. I then turned to Mustapha. I used my hands to go from a wet Paola to a dry Sookie. My hair was no longer brown. My eyes were no longer green. I was the same blue eyed woman he'd met last night.

When I was done, I looked at Mustapha and said, "I trust you. But I must warn you, if you tell anybody, I'll have to kill ya." I winked at him and laughed. The smile that was on my face was soon gone.

Each of Mustapha's thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks. I could clearly hear that he was conflicted. After sharing my magic with him and the questions I'd asked him, he wanted to help me. I could feel and see his vibrations; he was about to shift. He whimpered as if he was a new pup. He howled just a bit when he looked at me. I touched his arm and calmed him. When I did, I could also see that he wanted to help but he couldn't. I should have never put him in that position.

"I was only joking. I wouldn't kill ya. And I didn't do this to make you tell me anything. I just wanted you to know that I trust you. I apologize."

"You have my everlasting protection."

"Thank you. And you have mine."

For a minute, he just stared at me. Though he was doing his best to keep his gaze to mine, he dropped his eyes. I could feel him shivering though my hand was no longer on his arm.

"Do you fear me? Although you should, I would never purposely hurt you. I never purposely hurt anyone. You are my friend." He heard the hurt and pain in my voice.

His dark brown eyes finally met mine. "I would never fear you. You are kind and of good heart. I feel privileged to be in your presence; especially since you've shared your gift with me."

"Thank you, Mustapha," I said as I held his hand. I suddenly began to feel stirring inside of me. "Eric's going to awaken soon. I have to go inside."

Mustapha released my hand and pushed me into the pool.

I screamed once I surfaced. "You asshole!" I slapped the water with my hands and continued yelling obscenities at him. He was sitting on the edge of the pool killing himself with laughter. "Okay, Mr. Funny Man. Let's see how funny it is when you're in here."

Before he could move, I'd pulled his leg and quickly snatched him in the water with me. I held his head under and laughed a maniacal laugh. His arms were flapping back and forth. When I let him come up for air, I was no longer in the pool. I was dry and standing by the pool …pointing and laughing.

"I can't believe you did that!" he yelled. "What if I couldn't swim? You would have killed me! I would have drowned because of you!" He sounded serious but I could tell that this had to have been the most fun he's had in years. "I'll get you, mistress!"

"You'll have to catch me first ...WOLF."

He began swimming to the edge of the pool. "I hope that you don't think this is over!"

"Whatever. I'll always win. I'm Sookie Stackhouse … Champion of the world!" I walked around in a circle with my arms raised above my head and began cheering myself on. After basking in the accolades of my many non-existent fans, I bowed to my opponent. "Good evening, Mustapha. Have a good night," I waved over my head and laughed the entire way home.

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><p>When I went into the house, my stomach began to grumble. Until I'd smelled dinner, I had no idea how hungry I was. The most heavenly smells were coming from the kitchen. I could smell homemade biscuits, pork chops, fried apples, and fried potatoes. I went into the kitchen and went directly to the sink and washed my hands. I couldn't wait to eat dinner.<p>

"Good evening. Everything smells so heavenly," I said. What do you call a female chef … cheffette maybe? I went over to the lady and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse and I wanted to tell you that the food smells absolutely divine. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind fixing me a plate? I would loooove that so much. I am starved. I haven't eaten at all today."

The little lady turned around and looked at me; already holding a plate in her hand. "I figured you would be hungry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Foster. And I'm glad you love the smell of dinner. I only hope that you enjoy eating it just as much."

"I'm pleased to meet you and I'm sure that I will," I said. I sat in one of the high backed barstools that were placed around the island.

When she placed the meal in front of me, I felt as if I was at home with Gran. Watching Foster piddle around the kitchen was exactly like watching Gran. The way she moved, the way she wiped down the countertops; everything she did reminded me of the sweetest woman I've ever known.

"Would you care to join me?" I hoped that she would say yes.

The diminutive little woman smiled. "I'd love to."

Before I started my dinner, I waited for her prepare her plate. She fixed each of us a glass of peach iced tea. I prayed over our meal and we had a very pleasurable evening. We talked as if we were old friends. It felt good to have someone to talk with at the dinner table. Amelia and I would eat out or either in the living room in front of the TV. But this, this was fun. This was nice.

Gran and grandpa always made us eat at the dinner table. We each talked about our day. Whether it was a good or bad day, our time together at dinner was always good because we were together. Tonight with Foster, was almost as good. It felt like old times. It felt like home. Oh and the food was just divine. It was delicious and I know that I gained five pounds because of the potatoes and the apples alone. I won't even mention the weight that I gained because of the biscuits that were dripping with butter.

After I'd unbuttoned my shorts, I leaned back against my seat and exhaled. "You are a marvelous cook. Thank you so much."

She took my dishes and beamed at the compliment that I gave her. "You are a cook's best friend, Miss. Stackhouse."

I looked at her and thought about dropping my shields and trying to listen in on her mind but decided against it. That would be rude. "Foster, may I ask a question?"

"You just did."

I looked at her and shook my head. "No I did …ahhh …good one. What are you?"

She waggled her finger at me and said, "In time." As she went back to wiping down the countertops she said, "Someone's looking for you."

My stomach began to flutter and my heart melted. "Lover," I heard him call before he entered the room.

I jumped up from my seat and kissed Foster's cheek. "Thanks for a wonderful dinner."

Before I knew it, I was off and running. When I reached him, his arms were open and waiting for me. I ran even faster and there he was standing in the hallway. He is the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life. I couldn't help but smile when I saw him.

"Jump," he said.

And I did. His arms went around my waist and my legs went around his. We kissed our hellos. Soon after, my head was on his shoulder. "Hey, baby," I said. I tried getting closer to him even though I was already in his arms. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you." He carried me to living room and sat us on the couch. He kissed me again as he looked into my eyes. "I dreamt of you."

I snuggled into his lap and closed my eyes. "I know. We were in a farmhouse and we were resting by the fireplace. We shared our lives with each other. We told jokes and we told stories. We were friends." I could feel him staring at me. "Was it just a dream or was it real?"

I could feel him nodding his head. "It was real. You know that vampires don't dream."

I cupped his face in my hands and stared into his eyes. "You're more than that. And so what if you can't dream. We were there. I could feel the heat of the fire. Our happiness showed in our smiles and in our eyes. We wanted to be there …with each other."

We were both quiet for a brief moment. His eyes were filled with wonder and questions; too many for him to form into sentences. I wanted to tell him things but didn't know what they were. Tears suddenly sprang into my eyes as I thought of him being alone and without his true love for so long. My heart was breaking at the thought of him walking this world sad and lonely. Wrapping my arms around his neck once more, I cuddled in closer to him and placed my head on his chest.

"I never want to leave you. I never want to be without you. I belong here. I belong right here with you."

"You never have to." A sigh of relief was the only sound in the room.

"I never will," I finally said.

"Sookie," he said after a moment.

"Hmmm," I answered dreamily.

"When I awakened this evening, you were gone. Did I give you the code to get out of the room?" He knew that he hadn't given me the code. He wanted to ask how I was able to leave the room without the code. The door couldn't have been open by any other means.

"Shhh," I said. "I can't tell you; not now. But I'll tell you everything. No secrets." I looked towards the door and hushed him again.

"Is someone here?" he asked. He never made any quick movements but his posture was now defensive and he was holding onto me a little tighter than before. Jealousy coursed through him but I didn't understand why.

"Yes but we're safe. He's with Pam." I kissed him and said, "They're coming." I stood up from Eric's lap and stood in front of the couch. We stood side by side and we were both looking in the direction of the doorway when Pam appeared.

"Master," Pam said. "I've asked our guest to stand back until I've prepared you for his visit. He wanted to see you before leaving your area."

Based on the looks that they were giving each other, it was someone that I didn't need to know about. "Tell him that I'm busy and that I'll speak with him at a more convenient time. I have more important things to attend to." When Eric said that, he stood in front of me as if he was blocking me from someone's view.

Pam's mouth opened but someone else spoke. The coldness of her eyes told me that whoever was brave enough to cut her off will pay dearly.

Still staying out of view, the vampire addressed Eric. "There is no need for you to stop what you are doing, your majesty. I just wanted to thank you for your hospitality and grace. Pam has advised me and my underlings that the induction ceremony will be held three weekends from now at the royal hall. I only wanted to thank you. Until then my grace," he said.

Eric never acknowledged anything that the vampire said. He just wanted him gone. "Pam, make sure that they leave."

"Yes, master."

"Hey, Pam," I said quickly before she left. "It's good to see you."

"And you too, my friend," she said. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"It was delicious, thank you."

"The cook came highly recommended. Until later," she said. She then bowed to me and a smile twinkled behind her eyes before she left.

When she was gone, I turned and looked at Eric and asked, "You're a king?"

"I am." He didn't sound too happy about it either.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He studied my eyes before he spoke. "There was nothing to tell."

"I thought that you were a regular person. You know; a regular guy. I thought that you only owned a bar; that is until last night with all that secrecy going on. I then thought that you could be president. You have the presence of a president but king, huh? You're a king." I said. "That is so cool. I can't wait to tell Amelia. Wait, can I tell Amelia?"

"No," he said. "Vampire politics are a private matter. We can't trust others to know how we work within our own community."

I pretended to lock my lips and throw away the key. "Oh no; I'll never tell. I cross my heart and hope to die." I giggled.

Eric didn't.

"Did you hear me? Cross my heart and hope to die?" I laughed.

He didn't.

Angrily, he grabbed me by my arms and said, "Never say that again. Do you understand me? Never say that to me or anyone else again. Those words are to never pass your lips. It isn't funny. It will never be funny."

"Let go of me."

He looked at his hands when he took them from my arms. "Sookie," he started. "I only meant that I didn't want to hear …"

Tears sprang to my eyes as I nodded. "I won't say it again."

The tears ran down my face before I had a chance to look away. Without saying anything, I started to leave the room. When I reached the entryway to the living room, I was stopped by a steel wall; Eric. He was standing right in front of me. I did my best not to look at him but I couldn't help it. Slowly I lifted my eyes to meet his. When I looked into his eyes, I knew that there was something more to what he'd said and done than I realized. The troubled look in his beautiful sapphire eyes broke my heart.

"Forgive me, lover. I never meant to hurt you. The thought of you dying …it is a thought that I cannot bear. I don't want to hear that from you. A life without you would be the end of me. I could not stand the torture or the cruelty of it. This time, I would not survive it."

Silently, we gazed at each other. As I tried to guess Eric's emotions by looking into his ancient eyes, I was stunned by what I saw. Eric was afraid. I waited for him to speak but he said nothing. He stood before me and waited patiently. He was waiting for me to reassure him that I wasn't going to leave him. Without wasting another second, I slid my arms around his neck. We touched foreheads and closed our eyes. With that one gesture, we savored the promise of a life as one.

In response to our unspoken vow, I said, "I only said it because you said it when we first met. We laughed about it." He shamefully looked at the floor. "Look at me, baby."

He looked down at me.

When he did, I knew that words wouldn't take away his fear of my death. I knew that words wouldn't make him feel any better because of what his last lover did to him. I had to show him. I had to let him see. Looking deeply into his eyes, I placed my hands on his face and I let him see. I showed him what I felt for him. I let him see what he does to me with the slightest touch of his hand. I let him see what he does to me when he smiles only for me. I let him see the joy that only he has given to me. I let him see the life that we will have together.

"We are one."

Bloody tears fell from his eyes.

"This is our destiny, Eric. We will grow as one. We will live as one. There is no me without you. I swear to you."

I closed my eyes and licked the tears from his face. With the first lick, my body responded to his longing. When I licked the last of the tears from his face, I began to moan. When I opened my eyes and looked at him, I knew that I would never leave him under any circumstances. My body was begging to be connected to his. It needed more than a touch or a kiss. My body, me; I needed more.

"Make love to me," I begged.

Eric wrapped his arms around me; nearly crushing me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as closely as I could. He kissed me feverishly. I never wanted to let him go. My body was demanding to be joined with his. When he lifted me in his arms and I looked into my eyes, he kissed the tip of my nose and gently put me down.

My heart stopped. I almost fainted dead away. Why would he turn me down? I know that he wants me. Have things changed from only seconds ago?

"You don't want me?"

"On the contrary," he said. "I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone." I could see that he wanted me. It was in his eyes but something was stopping him.

"Then why are you denying me?"

"I fear that you may regret it. What if you realize that this is not what you want; that_ I'm_ not what you want …?"

The thought of me not wanting him kept him from finishing the sentence. "That'll never happen, Eric."

"You need to understand these memories that you're having before giving yourself to me."

"I don't have to remember that I love you. I know that I love you. I don't need any 'memories' to tell me what I feel for you. I want to be with you."

I could feel his torment. "Lover, I cannot."

What does he mean? "I thought that you wanted to be with me. What about last night?"

"Last night, I would have had you …and I would have regretted it because you're not sure of whom you are. I can't do that to you." He must have felt my pain at his words because he winced. I used every bit of willpower that I had to keep from crying.

"Okay," was all that I could think to say.

"You must understand that I want no one but you."

"It's okay. I understand and I won't be a bother to you. Amelia's supposed to call me. She's coming into town. So, if I'm not here later, I'll be with her. We might go out for a drink or something. So don't worry about me. If I get too drunk, I'll stay the night with her. I'm going to go and take a quick nap." I placed my hands on his chest and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

This time he didn't try to stop me. He stepped away from the doorway and he let me go. I walked into his office and closed the door behind me. When I was alone, I leaned against the door and cried.

_In time, we can understand the memories together?_ I call bullshit.

It's more than that. It's her. He's waiting for her. He'll never stop waiting for her and he'll never stop loving her. I can't compete with his past. I just wanted to do my best to make his future better but maybe I can't do that. Maybe it's not meant for us to be together. I'll never be able to replace his one true love.

I can't be her.

I can only be Sookie Stackhouse.

Maybe that's just not good enough for him.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope that you guys have enjoyed. You've been more than great.**


	46. Chapter 46

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 46**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing. I love them all. I hope that you all enjoy and keep letting me know what you think. I appreciate you more than you'll ever know. I hope that I got to send everyone private messages but if I didn't and if I forgot to anyone, I apologize.**

**This chapter will be dealing w/the the aftermath of Sookie's handling of her family's would be betrayers. And I'd like to give a shout out to ashmo2000. I think you must have hacked into my computer and read this chapter (JK).**

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><p>I paced back and forth in the living room. I couldn't help but feel as if I'd made a huge mistake. I should have gone after her. I shouldn't have let her go. I should have proven to her that I do want her. I should have made love to her as she wanted me to so that she would know exactly how I feel. She is mine in every since of the word. I should have …no. I am right. I can't make love with her until I know that she's going to remember me. I need for her to remember me. She needs to remember us and what we had. I know that is what's best for us. She'll see that I'm right. She'll see.<p>

I sat on the couch and ran my hands through my hair; aggravation, love, annoyance, pleasure. Each emotion was coursing through me. It was as if she'd never left. She is the only woman that I've ever met that can make me love her and want to tie her up at the same time.

When I looked up, Pam was eyeing me in the doorway. "Things never change do they?"

"Not where my wife is concerned," I said.

Pam came into the living room and sat in the chair across from me. "I've only seen her twice but I can see the changes in her. She's special, Eric. She's more than what she was when she died." Crossing her long legs as elegantly as she always has, Pam said, "Have you noticed the intensity of her eyes? When she looks at you, you feel as if she is seeing every part of you. It's almost as if she is you."

"You have no idea," I said to Pam.

I told Pam what happened earlier this evening when Sookie showed me what she felt for me. "It was pure, Pam. It was fresh and pure. She touched my face and she showed me her feelings instead of speaking them. I basked in her tenderness and it was beautiful. It felt like …it felt like the sun. Then she said that we will live as one and grow as one. I knew that she wasn't speaking only of the bond. It's almost as if she's living inside of me. This is stronger than the blood bond, Pam. We're more than we were before."

Pam stared up at the ceiling as she lost herself in thought. She finally said, "I haven't basked in the sun in years."

I then did a very human thing in order to get Pam's attention. I cleared my throat. "Pam, there is something that I want to talk over with you. I need a woman's opinion. When I speak of this with you, I want you to tell me if I've done the right thing."

She looked beyond surprised. "You're asking _me_ for advice? This must be serious. Please, go ahead and tell. I'm beyond intrigued."

"She wanted me to make love to her."

"Well, that's great, is it not? That means that she wants you." Pam waited. "Is there more?"

"I couldn't do it."

"Is she going through that time of the month? There is a Dr. Ruth, though she is deceased now, she says that it's safe to have sex during a woman's time of the month but she doesn't recommend it. Most human women are not attuned to that sort of thing. We can look up more information on the subject if you want to. Is that what she's requested of you; to have sex during that time of the month?"

I had no idea what Pam was speaking of and by the way she was talking, she didn't fully understand it herself.

"Human women are not much of mystery if we look for information on the internet. This _is_ the technological age. We can find out a multitude of things. Whatever we need to know, is right at our fingertips."

"It's not that." I inhaled because I had to steady myself for her reaction. "It's not that, Pam. Thing is that, I wouldn't make love to her."

Pam's mouth fell open. She looked at my cock and then back at me and said, "Are you ...having ... (whisper) problems? This is unheard of; especially for you, Eric. You've always been quite the stallion." She suddenly looked confused. "Vampires don't normally have this problem. Now human men; they have pills that they can take but you're a vampire. I've heard of humans that can't perform but never a vampire. Are you …are you …afraid that you won't please her?"

Okay. This was getting to be a bit too much.

"No!" I bellowed. "No! I have never had problems with performing and I know that I can please her. I have always been able to please her. What I'm saying is that because she's not fully herself, I wouldn't make love with her. She was hurt yet I feel that I did the right thing. What if she recovers her memories and she remembers that I've hurt her or that I've made mistakes? What if this new Sookie can't forgive me as the old Sookie did?"

I waited for the jokes and the teasing. I waited for her to tell me that she'd fuck her for me. I would have had to beat the shit out of her but I still waited. I was surprised when she said that she understood.

"That's fair but what if she never gets her memories back? Are you going wait before you decide to make new ones with her? Are you never going to make love with her? Understand what she could be going through. You're only assuming that waiting is what's best for her. You don't really know. The old Sookie would never have offered herself to you much less spent the night with you ...on the second date ...and sleep in the same bed with you. Be the vampire that you used to be and throw caution to the wind. Take her if you want her."

My fangs dropped at the idea of making love to Sookie again. "I want her, Pam."

"If you want her, claim her. She obviously has no hesitations about you."

"I've never wanted anyone more. Pam, she is astonishing. She is braver than before; if that is at all possible. She's fierce and she's willing to protect me and stand with me."

I told her about the FotSs members and how Sookie was able to get Indira, Mustapha, and Warren to kill them. "In the beginning, she always wanted the human authorities to handle human problems. Well, not this time. She didn't want to call the police. She didn't want me to handle it. She said that she had already taken care of them. And Pam, she was delighted with what she had done."

"Bullshit!" Pam exclaimed. "You have to be fucking kidding me! Don't tell me that I had to fucking entertain that boring as Bill fucking Compton and his fucking shit sticks while you were watching fucking FotSs members being killed. And Indira was able to be a part of it! She's my fucking underling! If anything I should've been the one doing the killing!" Thinking only made her angrier than before. "It's Bill's fault that I missed it. They showed up un-fucking announced and I miss every fucking thing. I must kill Bill." She looked at the door and said, "Yes. I must kill him now."

I disregarded her comments. She mumbled on and on about missing the killing. She mumbled something about ripping off heads and ripping hearts from chests. I continued to ignore her and talked about Sookie.

"She is remarkable," I said more to myself than to Pam. As I thought about Sookie, I realized that I'm as just as enthralled with her as I was when I first met her.

"Fuck," Pam yelled.

"Get over it, Pam. You're too old to be acting in such a childish manner." I smiled smugly at her.

"I'm over it. There is another reason why I came to see you this evening. Certain things have taken place today that we have to chat about. It's about the hired help; the new and the missing …the absent …the gone astray. Eric, did you hire a new subordinate without my knowledge? I only ask because a Were guard told me that a lady that calls herself Ms. Vasquez, fired Casey today. Were you aware of this?"

"No," I said as my fangs slid down. "I've never heard of Ms. Vasquez. And she was in this house?"

"She was also seen walking the grounds this evening …with Mustapha. Supposedly, he sent them all away and made them stay away because those were supposedly your orders. Mustapha was the only one allowed to be near this Vasquez woman. I would think that with Sookie's return, we would want to keep the visitors to a minimum. Mustapha was made aware of this but obviously he did not take note of your earlier warnings."

Did the Were bring this unknown woman to our home? Does this woman know about Sookie's return? Is that why she was here? Did he hire her or ask her to perform a task without my knowledge? Was she part of the reason Sookie was taken? There was no reason why Mustapha should have hired anyone to do any type of job without my say so. He's my day man. He makes no decisions for me.

"Security room," I ordered Pam.

As Pam and I walked to the basement, she told me of the precautions she'd taken to be sure that no one has seen the video or destroyed it. "I asked if anyone had seen any of the footage. Evan said that he left that to me. He said that he thought that it would be best if we handled it. He's let no one go into the room since earlier this evening. I dismissed him and called Mustapha to stand guard outside of the room. He's there now awaiting our arrival."

We walked past the office door and I could hear Sookie in there …sleeping. We continued on past the staircase and past each of the overpriced, barely furnished rooms that Pam called herself decorating. As we continued on, I could feel Pam's irritation. There was something else that she wanted to say but Pam has always been one for drama and flare.

"Is there more, Pam?"

"I'm glad that you _finally_ decided to ask. Earlier tonight on the news, there was a story about our former employee, Casey Cook. She used to assume that she was the head everything because you spoke to her ONE time. You remember her; she had dirty blond hair, brown eyes, plain; not very much to look at. She was the one that was in love with you."

I gave Pam '_the look_' to let her know that I was not in the right frame of mind for any of her games. "Speak of the news, Pam and nothing more."

As we walked down the narrow stairs to the security room, she did as she was ordered. "She committed suicide and 'killed' Sarah Newlin. They were found in an alley. Casey even left a suicide note. She stated that she worked for the FotSs members and that she was sent to work for a very important vampire. Take note that she did not mention her employer's name. She was ordered to set him up so that the world would believe that vampires are just as dangerous as they've known they were all along.

"She just couldn't do it. After meeting her employer and the others that are vampire, she realized that there was nothing to fear from our kind. She was troubled and conflicted. She really liked her boss. He treated her so well. He paid well and offered a benefits package; health insurance, dental plan, vacation; that sort of thing. In her suicide note, you were made to look as if you were the granddaddy of all vampires. When she told the Newlins that she wanted out …good evening, Mustapha," Pam said.

"Good evening," he said as he held the doors opened for us. Once we'd entered, he was in the process of closing the door but I stopped him.

"Come in," I ordered. Pointing to the chair in front of the security camera, I told him to sit down. When he was seated, I told Pam to finish.

"Where was I? Oh, yes; well, when she told the Newlins that she wanted out, they told her no. They '_made_' her do deplorable things. There was a plan to plant a dead body on her employer's property but she told them that her employer was out of town so they called the plan off. Nice touch, I might add since they are now dead; no thanks to me but I digress. They had another plan but she said no but they told her that she had no choice. Since she was not permitted to stop, she did what she had to do. She killed one of her employers. She broke Sarah Newlin's neck with her bare hands." Pam rolled her eyes at that revelation. "She asked for forgiveness and that was it. And she took her own life with a gun. Eric, you know …"

"Not now, Pam. Mustapha," I said.

The security room was packed with the most up-to-date technology and weapons of every sort. The computers were humming and the live video screens were filming the grounds. Virtually every corner of the house was visible except for my and Pam's offices and our living quarters. Only Pam and I could operate those cameras. On the wall behind us, every type of weapon ever known to man was in this room and accessible only to my most trusted. I believed Mustapha to be a part of that elite group but I may have to reconsider.

As I took the seat by Mustapha, he turned on the playback console and the first image we saw was the dark haired woman with the bright green eyes. She was gorgeous. She didn't walk down the stairs; she practically floated. Her thick curly brown hair flowed down her back. The black suit fit every curve beautifully. She looked the part of a woman that I would have hired to work for me. She was very professional. She was carrying a briefcase and speaking on her cell. The only thing that was out of place was the look on her face. She looked very angry.

When she greeted the woman in the foyer, she never once smiled. The woman was shaking her hand and grinning but this Ms. Vasquez wasn't. Her eyes were filled with fury.

"That's supposed to be Sarah Newlin," Pam said as she pointed at the short haired woman waiting in the foyer. "Casey told her that you were hiring for a personal assistant."

I watched as the woman led Sarah down the hallway. The camera was on both women. Sarah was chattering away as Vasquez looked straight ahead without saying a word. Her eyes were speaking for her; hate, disgust, disdain.

The women were soon in my office. Pam knew what to do. Pam clamped her hands over Mustapha's eyes and entered the code to view the security info in my office. When she was done, Mustapha was able to see again.

The lady was locking the door and watching Newlin and her eyes were filled with condescension and hate. Pam turned up the volume as soon as the women started talking. We listened to the Vasquez woman but could not recognize her voice. She had the dialect of a true Brazilian. She also had the beauty. No matter how I tried, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Mustapha must have noticed because he spoke on it.

"It's the eyes," he said.

He was right. I knew those eyes. She had the most beautiful and mesmerizing green eyes. She was …

"Oh, yes. I was just trying to decide on how I'm going to kill you."

We all, I, Pam, and Mustapha, stared at each other in surprise. Pam was the one and only one to laugh.

"What did she just say?" Pam rewound the video several times and laughed after each replay.

"Enough," I ordered.

Pam let the tape play without interruption. "You have put me in a quandary, Mrs. Newlin. I can't let the others hear me kill you but I want them to know what will happen if they betray the people that live in this house. If I let them know that I've killed you, how would I be able to trust them not to blab? I'd have to kill them all and then I would have to interview a whole new batch of employees. If I find a traitor in that bunch ..." She then made a slicing motion with her finger across her neck. "I'll have to start the entire process all over again. Problems, problems, problems; you're more trouble than you're worth." Vasquez began to giggle.

It was an infectious giggle but only to those of us that were watching the video.

The Vasquez woman remained seated as Newlin ran to door. She even opened it but for some reason, the door closed …on its own. The giggling stopped and our fangs descended as we stood and looked intently at the screen. Mustapha only smiled at the screen.

I heard him mumbling the words, '_simply_ _astonishing_'.

We continued watching the screen and staring in amazement. She berated the woman for being a coward and begging for her life. She politely asked for the woman's phone. She got the phone numbers that belonged to FotSs and BVA members. She crushed the woman's phone in her small, delicate hand but there wasn't a shard of plastic to be seen. Vasquez made the woman explain her reasons she hated supernaturals. The woman then became downright rude but Vasquez liked it. She wanted it.

Newlin began talking to Vasquez as she wanted. She knew that she was never leaving that room alive. "You will pay for what you're doing. You're helping deaders kill humans and you have no qualms about it. I will forever pass judgment on those things. They are nothing like me."

"You're right about that. They're far better than you are."

When Newlin called Vasquez a bitch, Pam and Mustapha both inhaled sharply and looked at each other; they couldn't believe what they'd just heard. They both leaned into the screen and waited to see what was going to happen next.

Vasquez walked to the front of the desk and looked down at Newlin. The smile on her face was the scariest and most beautiful thing I'd ever seen …on a human or whatever she was. When she shrugged her shoulders, each of us leaned in closer to the screen.

"There's only one thing for me to do."

Newlin was terrified. She'd gripped the arms of the chair with such force that I thought that they were going to snap.

"I'm sorry to say, Mrs. Newlin, you did not get the job." Vasquez placed her hands on either side of Newlin's head and twisted sharply. When she cracked the woman's neck, Vasquez closed her eyes and smiled. She looked at the woman and again, she shrugged her shoulders. She wrapped the dead woman in her arms and they both vanished from the room.

"What the fuck?" Pam said.

"Are you sure that she's no longer here?" I asked.

"As far as they know, she's long gone." Pam then looked at Mustapha. "Do you know if anyone got close to her? Is she still here?"

"No one but me; the others only saw her walking the grounds. They are all under the impression that she has been taken care of. No one saw me leave with her but that doesn't matter. I've taken care of many things for you without them knowing about it. This time is no different."

We didn't expect him to be truthful about it but I have always known for him to be honest. He couldn't take his eyes off of the screen. Before I could get him to respond to Pam's last question, he turned our attentions back to the video.

"Look."

We watched her interactions with Casey. She controlled the woman's mind. She controlled her every movement, her every thought. She told the woman what to do and the woman obviously did it. Vasquez gave Casey the suicide letter and thanked her for a job well done. That's why Casey made tonight's news. Vasquez put this entire thing in motion.

Vasquez called the guard house and that was that. The camera was suddenly snowy. We looked at the other videos from the daylight hours at that precise time and they were fine. All of them were fine except for the one in the office. After a few minutes had passed, Vasquez made herself at home. She was sleeping on the couch in my office.

"The video from the grounds only show her walking around." Mustapha said that they all followed her until the winds started to blow through the rose gardens. "That's when I sent them all away. Forgive me, Eric, but I told them that if they were seen anywhere near her, you would make sure they didn't make it past the day. I only said that because of the wind."

Pam said, "Her scent." She slowly turned to look at the screen. Very rarely do I get to see my child look surprised. "Oh my," she whispered.

Mustapha and Vasquez were sitting by the infinity pool. My wife is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She and Mustapha were laughing and talking as only old friends would. She asked him questions which he did not answer.

Suddenly, here in the security room, the Were began vibrating. "Watch this," he said. "You have to see this. If anyone else had told me about it, I would have thought that they were lying or using some type hallucinogenic because it's just unbelievable. I never thought that …look!"

Vasquez then turned and looked at Mustapha. She waved her hands in front of her face and she was no longer the beautiful, brunette that killed Sarah Newlin and Casey Cook. She was the gorgeous and astonishing and blonde Sookie Stackhouse.

This time I rewound the tape over and over again.

"Is she full fae?" Pam asked the video screen.

Mustapha spoke up. "I don't know. She doesn't carry their scent. When she touched me, I could feel her life force. But she is of the royal family. I could smell the magic in her. She's not like the others. Eric," Mustapha said. "She has the gift of life. Only one other faery had that gift and she's in the Summerlands. She was the fae princess …Alexandria. There is none other like your wife. My life for hers," he said as he touched the screen.

"She was never dead," Pam said. "Fucking Niall had her the entire time."

I thought about the meetings that Niall would plan to have with me but he would never appear. He would call or send message with some type of excuse. I've called him several times since her return and he hasn't returned my call yet. I will meet with the faery and we will have words. I try to make myself angry but I'm not. I should be upset. He kept her away from me for five long years but as I look at her on the screen, I don't feel anger. I only feel relief, gratitude, and happiness. The most disturbing of my feelings is confusion.

Why would Niall take her to Faery and send her back? If Niall was going to be malicious, he could have kept her. He did not have to return her to me. Why would Niall return her if she's as powerful as she is? She had to have these gifts when he sent her back …if he sent her back. Was he holding her prisoner and she escaped? Is that why she has no memory of me or our life together? Were my visions and dreams of her a way for her to stay close to me …to keep me in her heart …to never forget my face …to never forget us?

I began to growl as I imagined her being held captive by the man that she so dearly loved. But I've known Niall's for years. If she had been held captive, he never would have sent her back.

"Eric, did you hear me? Has he called you back?"

I shake my head in response to Pam's question. I reached past Mustapha and replayed the security videos. She's too powerful for Niall to just release her. There's more here that I'm not seeing. There's more to what's been done. I take my cell from my pocket and dial the faery's number. I get no answer …no voicemail. It just rings for what feels like hours. Mistakenly, I crushed my phone. I looked at Pam and she knew what to do.

"You know they've canceled your insurance?" she asked.

"Just order the phone," I told her. "Mustapha, we need to beef up security."

"Certainly, Eric," he said.

"Tell no one anything."

He nodded his affirmation before leaving the room.

Pam and I headed back upstairs and stopped in front of the office door. We could hear her sleeping. Her rhythmic breathing was bringing peace to my dead soul.

Pam motioned for me to follow her to the library. After closing the door, she asked, "Do you really think that Niall would have let her suffer as she did on that night?" Pam and I haven't spoken of that night …ever. "I don't think he would have done that, Eric but I will say this. Niall had to be extremely arrogant and calculating to pull a move like that. You are very powerful and you could have started a war had his actions been known."

I replayed the video feeds over again in my mind; seeing what I never expected and finding that I was more than impressed with my wife's abilities to defend herself and her family. She is more than able to protect us but that's what I don't' understand. He could have kept her, bred with her. But he didn't. He sent her back.

"Why would he send her back to me, Pam? If he was being malicious, he could've kept her and I never would've known that she was gone. It's obvious that she's extremely powerful. He could've kept her but he sent her back to me. Why?"

Her face was as blank as I'd ever seen it. "I don't know."

We suddenly heard laughter filling the room; coming from no particular direction. It would have been a very melodic and soothing sound if it had been coming from anyone else. I knew who it was. I didn't know whether to be happy that he was here so that he could answer my questions or mad because he's made me wait this long to get answers to my questions.

"There is no need to talk about me when I'm not here. I'm sure that you got my message, Eric. I told you that when the time was right, you would see me. I'll answer any questions that you may have."

When we looked to our right, there stood Niall.


	47. Chapter 47

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 47**

**Thanks as always to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, alerting and loyalty to and love of this story is more than I could have expected. This chapter will pick up where Niall so rudely interrupted the conversation between Pam and Eric. Niall has decided to make his presence known so that he can give Eric the answers he very well deserves. We are still in Eric's PoV and there will still be some things left unsaid for now. I'll have the next chapter posted either Tuesday or Wednesday.**

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><p>Pam and I sat on the couch as Niall stood in the middle of the floor. The silence and tenseness was thick enough to choke even the oldest and strongest vampire but I survived it. I could feel the anxiousness flowing from Pam. She didn't know what she needed to do. She didn't know what to say. Neither did I. We were both at a loss. We couldn't decide on whether or not to kill the faery or thank him. So we did the only thing that we could do. We waited. And though we waited, we were nowhere near trying to figure out what it was that he wanted.<p>

From the look on his smug face, that is how he wanted us to feel. And being vampires and the superiors that we are, we couldn't sit there and do nothing. So that Niall wouldn't mistakenly believe that he had control over what was going on, Pam and I began discussing nothing but made him believe that we were discussing something.

Needless to say, our plan worked perfectly. Faeries are conceited beings. They want the focus to always be on them and since it was no longer on him, Niall decided to bring our attention back to where he felt it needed to be. So, he began walking about but Pam and I, we continued to ignore him. We continued to carry on as if he never showed up.

Before sitting on the couch across from us, Niall cleared his throat to let us know that he was ready. He unbuttoned his expensive suit jacket and sat down. He then crossed his legs and leaned back on the couch and he waited. He waited for us to give him our undivided attention.

We continued talking about nothing and he hated it. As I said before, they need the attention.

He elegantly bowed his head to me and began speaking. "Forgive my rudeness but there are some things that we need to discuss. I should have made an appointment. Because I did not, I offer you my apologies."

"As you should," I responded.

"King Eric Northman," the words rolled off of his tongue. "I never thought that I'd live to see the day. The title fits you well." There was a twinkle in his eye as he complimented me.

"I appreciate that." I leaned forward and said in my most sarcastic tone, "My life is complete now that I have your approval."

With a regal flick of his finger, he tucked a stray silver strand of hair behind his noticeably pointy ear. "I would have thought that you would have a better sense of humor by now but alas, I was wrong. You still have no sense of humor." His gaze fell upon Pam. "Ms. Ravenscroft, I see that you're still dead yet you're as beautiful as ever."

"Don't I know it," she said with a slick smile. "You're still as arrogant and as handsome as usual; though I would expect nothing less."

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "I do my best."

Enough with the pleasantries; he needed to explain his reasons for being there. "Why are you here, Niall? Are you here to tell me why you kept my wife away from me for five years? I hope that's the reason that you've made this impromptu visit. Please, tell me that's the reason for your visit."

Crossing his legs and gracefully resting his hands on his knee, he replied, "That's the precise reason why I'm here. It has been brought to my attention that my great-granddaughter has been quite busy putting her magic to use. She took her lessons with ease. Quite extraordinary, isn't she? You should see her with her weapons."

Niall spoke as any proud parent would. "It was a joy training her. Your wife is simply astonishing, Northman. That's another word that can be used to describe her; astonishing. She is a gift to our worlds. She is embedded with the qualities that the fae and the vampire lack." Letting his eyes travel to the doorway of the room, he made an observation. "I see that she's not in here with you. She's resting, I assume? The use of her magic makes her overly excited at times. Resting is the only way to calm her. That is a bit of information that will come in quite handy for you in the future."

I eyed him suspiciously as I spoke. "You assume correctly. No need to worry yourself with her whereabouts or how she's doing. I am more than capable of taking care of her."

There was no way I was going let him anywhere near her. After keeping her away from me for five years, I feel that he has had his fill of Sookie Northman; enough to last him a lifetime.

"No need to fret, vampire. I'm not here to claim what is rightfully mine."

Pam's hands were clawed and her fangs were bared. I felt my lips curl back in a snarl as a low feral growl escaped me. "I will kill you before I allow you to steal her away from me again."

"We will die together, vampire." Niall's fingers were now adorned with silver nails; his smile suddenly gleamed with silver. "I did not come here to fight with you. If we can't behave as gentlemen, I will take my leave. You can figure out on your own what has happened to your wife and go from there. If you ruin the progress that's been made, that'll be on you. I owe you _nothing_. I'm only here because of my love for her."

He began to stand but I told him to remain seated. "There is no need for such hastiness. We can meet without conflict. We can discuss my wife without the use of anger or threatening words. As you've stated, we are gentlemen and we will carry ourselves as such."

There was more that I wanted to say to him but before speaking to him again, I had to calm myself. I let myself go to where Sookie was. I let myself drown in her serenity. I let her peace and tranquility take me to where I needed to be. And because of her, I was able to calm down enough to where I almost smiled at that son of a bitch Niall.

With a simple wave of his hands, his silver weapons were gone. Niall looked from me to Pam. "I would first like to say that I never meant to cause you pain, Northman, or you, Ms. Ravenscroft."

He looked as if he'd bitten into the sourest of fruits after apologizing to two vampires. I enjoyed that look of sourness on his face.

"My dearest great-granddaughter has always been my only concern. I have her best interests at heart. I've always known that you love my great-granddaughter, Northman and I've always known that with you, she would be protected. The protection spells that you have on your homes are more than sufficient. Claudine always sang your praises. She believed that you and Sookie were meant to protect and love each other. She was right. You are a good man and you do love her just as much as she loves you.

"She loves so easily and gives it just as freely. She's always been willing to sacrifice herself for so many others. I learned a lot while taking care of her. What really stands out is that she is so full of life and love. Even in death, her spirit was strong. There was no doubt in my mind that she would make an excellent leader one day. There are no fae that exist that are like her.

"For years, the humans have said that we, the fae, have no souls. I always believed that to be hogwash. We could feel. We could love …ourselves, but we could love. We wanted what everyone else wanted. To me, that meant that we were not soulless creatures. That is until Sookie came to the realm. We only wanted for ourselves. And she showed us, not meaning to mind you, just how soulless we really were.

"Anyway, she is quite extraordinary. She has many, many gifts …many talents. She has many gifts of the fae …teleportation, sense of touch, transformation. Now, Sookie's telepathy is not a faery trait. Her gift of telepathy comes from Desmond …her godfather."

"What?" I asked. I was beyond surprised. Even Pam's mouth was agape with that bit of information. I wondered if the others in the supe world knew of Desmond's magnificent talent.

"Yes. Your wife has the mental traits of the daemons. She's aware of this but nonetheless, it hasn't changed her. She is an offspring of soulless creatures but she is not. She hasn't let these traits change her. There is no other like her. Before Sookie, we were without souls, love, and respect. We had nothing. Our only concerns were for ourselves. I didn't care about what happened to another kinsman. I believed that if they fell by the sword, it was their own fault. All I can say is that we were wrong." Niall's hair fell around his face but it didn't hide the tears that fell from his eyes.

"She has many qualities that make her different. Selfishness has never been a part of who she is. I say that because I saw her for what she truly is on my last earth bound visit with her. It all began the day Sookie arrived home with the Were. She'd just chosen the house that you two were to begin your new lives in. She was extremely happy that day. She was going to be your wife. You and she were going to move into your new home and build your new life together. Her vampires were going to be there and the bad things were going to be behind her. I told her how you came to be an important part of her life. I could tell by the look on her face that she thought that something was hidden in my telling her. She may have believed that I was going to try and turn her against you. Her fears were valid considering how I feel about your kind. That was never a part of my agenda. I wanted her happy. I _want_ her happy. So, I told her the truth about you. I told her about your willingness to protect her. And after that, the only thing she could talk about was how much she loves you."

A smile danced across my lips as I thought of that night. Despite the mistakes that I'd made that night, she was willing to fight for me then and she was only a mere human. I am still ashamed of myself for how I treated her. I questioned her about Niall's visit and how it was odd that she couldn't remember his visit. I ridiculed her and the image of her face and the feel of her pain are forever burned within me. I carried the pain of that night on my face. Pam felt it and squeezed my thigh gently. Niall saw it and responded to it.

"All has been forgiven, Northman. If you want to go forward, you have to release the pain. You can't hold onto the mistakes if you want to start anew. If you can't let it go, everything was done in vain."

Before I could ask what he meant, he lifted his hand and I promptly closed my mouth. Pam looked on in surprise and with a smug look on her face. "Never mention it," I warned her.

"Yes, master."

"I told her that since her wedding day was going to be sooner than anyone knew, I wanted to present her with a wedding gift. She looked surprised and then she looked suspicious. She knows how notorious we are. The fae do nothing for anyone without expecting a little something in return. I understood her hesitation." Niall once again chuckled as he thought of Sookie.

Pam snorted. "I'm not surprised in the least. She's always suspicious when someone wants to do something nice for her. She doesn't know a gift when a gift is a gift. She can't accept a gift without thinking that there's a catch or that she's going to be seen as a kept woman …humans. Personally, I love receiving gifts." Pam looked at the new Jimmy Choos that I bought for her. "Humans will forever remain a mystery to me." She continued to admire her very expensive shoes.

We all began to laugh and tell stories of how Sookie's always been turned off by receiving gifts from anyone. How she always felt that she had to do something for someone if they did anything for her; no matter how small it was.

"She's the only human I've ever known to be like that," I said

Niall then said something that took me for a loop. "Human? Not quite," Niall said. "She's not quite fae either. She's a little bit of everything. I think that's what makes her so unique. She can't be classed with the rest of us; especially not humans. They're beneath her. They should be so lucky."

Pam and Niall were right. Sookie is an unusual woman but in a good way. She has always put the welfare of others before her own. She's always been willing to help and give more than she has to give. Her most endearing qualities are that she doesn't know how beautiful or how wonderful she is and how she can make the strongest man weak in the knees.

I thought about how she is able to surprise me. I thought about how she would deliberately irritate me and she'd never back down. She would put that hand on hip and point that finger in my face and fire away. She stood by what she said and what she believed. And she fought me every step of the way if she believed me to be wrong. Niall was right. She is like no other. But I had to wonder, how did he get her to take a gift? What magic did he use?

"How did you get her to take the gift?" I asked.

"Because the gift wasn't just for her; it was for you." He looked at Pam and added, "And for you."

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. A faery giving a gift to a vampire is completely unheard of. From the sound of her normally cool voice, Pam was just as surprised as I am.

"What was the gift?" Pam asked. She was as curious as I was. She'd slid to the edge of the couch and was resting her elbows on her knees.

"The gift of happiness," he replied. Niall had a faraway look in his eyes when he said, "Sadly, my dearest great-granddaughter never understood where true happiness comes from."

Before I could ask him what he meant, Pam spoke up.

"The gift of happiness? What is the gift of happiness?"

"In Faery, we have certain gifts that we give to our most beloved, most deserving and Sookie is my most beloved. She is my most deserving. So for me to give her whatever it is that she wanted; it my pleasure. I would have given her absolutely anything in this world and ours." A look of longing appeared in his eyes as he thought of her before her continued.

"When I asked her what she wanted, she asked for happiness for you, her vampires, and herself. She never once said that there was anything that she wanted. You and 'her' vampires were always included. She wanted you all to have a life without worrying about your lives. She wanted you all to be able to live without fear. She wanted you all to remain as carefree as you always were. Your happiness is just as important as her happiness. Then she told me what she wanted. She wanted a life where she would be able to make decisions for herself. She wanted to decide who to love and who to be with. She wanted a new life for each of you; a life without baggage. She said that each of you deserved a new beginning. You _all_ deserved a new beginning."

The smile that was on the faery's face was now fading away. He was soon somber. "She didn't know what she was wishing for. I warned her that such a gift comes with the highest of costs. I told her that the gift of happiness would not come without pain. Everyone involved will have to suffer the consequences. She would suffer the most. She would lose the most. She looked at me as if I was a stranger."

With a surprised look on his face he said, "And she asked me as much. She asked me if I was just meeting her. She said that's what her life has always been; pain and sacrifice. She asked what one more sacrifice would mean to her. I was amazed when I looked at her. Never once did she change her mind in what she wanted. She said that any sacrifice would be worth a lifetime of happiness and freedom. She said that if you and she could be happy with each other and her vampires would be safe and happy, then everything would be fine. What's one more sacrifice for those you love?"

Pam was now sitting on the floor with her legs folded underneath her and chewing on her nails.

Me? Well, I listened to Niall with focused attention and a broken heart. I unnecessarily asked a question that I already knew the answer to. "Did she understand what the sacrifice would be?"

On one of my many visits to Bon Temps, she told me that she didn't know that she'd have to die.

Pam turned around and looked at me as if to ask the meaning to my question but the look on my face told me that she knew. Her gaze went back to Niall's. Pam shook her head before she was able to speak. Her words were spoken softly but they carried a lot of weight.

"She was the sacrifice."

Niall stared into space. "I did my best to talk her out of it without telling her why but what I said didn't matter. She was determined that you all were going to get your happiness. I wanted to give her something a little more logical. Something that would be more to my liking but it wasn't up to me. One can't interfere when an offering is made. I'd hoped that she would ask me to kill de Castro and Freyda but she did not. I would've ended the battle before it even had a chance to begin. Because she asked for happiness, she had to suffer through the pains that were to come. The sacrifice was hers to bear."

"And I bear it willingly," I softly replied. "I heard her say that. She fully understood when the time was near. She knew what was going to happen to her."

"She did."

"She died for us," Pam said. Tears of red streaked her face.

"She did and she died for herself."

Pam looked down at the bloody tears that had pooled in her lap.

Niall handed her a kerchief after gently removing the stain of blood from her lap.

"Thank you."

"It is fine."

When I looked at him, he too, was crying.

After we were able to let the realization of what Sookie had done for us sink in, Pam began to speak. "I've never told anyone this. The night after she died, I went to the farmhouse to say my goodbyes; alone. She was sitting on the porch swing, waiting. She waved me to her and told me that she knew I'd come. She told me that she'd been waiting for me. She kissed and hugged me. Several times she apologized and said that she didn't know. We talked of how strong she knew that I was and that I would have to be to take care of Eric. She told me that she needed for me to watch over Bill and Eric. She said that in time, Bill would be fine and he would soon forget about her and the pain that once lived between them. She said that he would eventually go on. Not her Eric; her Eric would suffer terribly."

Pam reached over and held my hand as she continued telling of her last meeting with Sookie. "She said that she would come to him when she knew the pain would be too much for him to bear but she needed me to keep watch over him. She said that he had to be safe. If he was gone, she wouldn't know where to find him. I promised her that I would. I made every effort to make sure that Eric was not going to meet the sun. He was going to keep his promise to her. She kissed me one last time and told me that I needed to go. She said that I needed to go to Eric because he wouldn't come."

Keeping my resolve, I told them both of my multiple encounters with Sookie. "She'd come to me often. I'd see her in my dreams. I'd see her in the moon. She was everywhere. There were times when I would feel …. She is my weakness."

"As she is mine," Niall said. "Eric, I kept her in Faery because it's her homeland and she would come into her own. There was no other way to give her what she wanted; what she needed. She had to come with me or she would not be here with you tonight. Her homeland and kin healed her. When she was taken, I kept everything as it was; for the most part. She is still bonded to you. Her love and her comfort for you have not changed. Her love and comfort for her vampires have not changed. The sacrifice not only included her life but her memories.

"She didn't want to keep the bad things. She wanted to let them all go. She said that baggage makes it hard to move forward. But in time, she will understand what the true happiness is. Those that truly loved her and respected were granted the gift of remembering who she was. If the relationship was fraught with pain and selfishness, those are the ones that forgot who she was."

There would be many that wouldn't know her if they saw her.

I wanted to be angry. I wanted to hate the faery. I wanted to kill him and taste his rare yet sweet and intoxicating blood but I couldn't. I didn't want to kill him and I no longer wanted to taste his blood. I only felt appreciation and indebtedness. I understood. I understand why she approached me on her own. I understand why she was so willing to love me. I understand why she wanted to make love to me. She was getting a chance to start over.

"She's getting the chance to live as she wanted before the choices were made for her. Some memories that resurface will be false memories. They will be happy memories. When her memories are complete, they will be the way she wanted her life to be," I said.

Niall's happiness reached his eyes as he nodded. "In death, she'd learned so much. Being in her true home, made her see what she needed to do to keep her loved ones safe. She learned not to be guilty for loving and protecting those that she loves so dearly. Here, she will soon learn the same thing.

"So, Northman that is why you have to let things happen as they happen; you can't do things the way that you're doing them. You can't shelter her. If you do, you will lose her and everything that she died for will be no more. You have to let her decide which path to take. That's the only way she'll know what true happiness is."

Niall suddenly looked towards the door. In only seconds, he was no longer standing there. His appearance was that of a young male fae; his son, Fintan Brigant.

There was a tiny knock at the door and there stood Sookie. "May I come in?"

"Please," Niall/Fintan said. "Come in."

I looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. If he thinks that he's going to take her, he will …

Sookie looked around the room and saw the stranger standing there. Being the polite southern bell that she is, she walked to him and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She didn't know her grandfather/great-grandfather.

Niall stood as regally as ever. After buttoning his suit jacket, he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm Fintan. I'm an associate of Mr. Northman's. He didn't tell me that he has such a beautiful wife."

Sookie blushed deeply. "We're not married. We've just started dating. We're not really dating. I'm just ...staying here with him for a couple of days." She rolled her eyes and smiled.

I took that opportunity to let her know how I truly feel. "Fintan, you've spoken sage words. I would love to make her my wife," I added. "Who wouldn't want her to stand with them?"

Sookie elbowed me in the side and started giggling but when she saw Pam, her happiness was short-lived. She dropped down in front of Pam and hugged her.

"What's wrong?"

Pam's arms went around Sookie. "I'm just glad that you're here."

Pam buried her face in Sookie's shoulder and continued to cry. Sookie stroked her head and hummed to her. The grip that Pam had on Sookie was soon loosening. There was no talking. Only the sweet sounds of the loving song that Sookie hummed to her friend. When the song was over, Sookie whispered in Pam's ear. Pam looked at her and said thank you.

Sookie stood up and offered Pam her hand. "Amelia's in town. Would you like to go out with us? We're going dancing."

"I'd love to," Pam said as she took Sookie's hand.

"You're leaving?" I asked.

When she answered me, she was still watching Pam. "Yeah. If we don't have our sleepover, I'll be back tonight. If not, I'll see you when you get back to Shreveport. I'll probably leave in the morning with Amelia. You have things to do and I have to meet with Remy, so," she answered with a shrug. "We always have sleepovers when we can. It's really fun, Pam. You want to join us? She has a light tight room. You'll be protected."

"Thank you but I must return home before the dawn. Eric would fade into the darkness without me."

Sookie giggled as she reached for my hand but quickly apologized and folded her hands in front of her. I could see the hurt on her face but she kept on talking as if nothing had happened.

"I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Her house is warded and I'll be there."

"I know that you wouldn't but I do think that it's best that I return home. Thank you, my friend."

I looked at Niall. He was looking at Sookie with total longing. I could see that he misses her more than anything or anyone. Sookie didn't seem to notice because she was too busy planning her night out with the girls. She didn't seem to notice the look on my face either.

Before I could respond, she kissed Pam and said, "You go and change and I'll meet you in the foyer. I'll introduce you to Amelia. You'll love her. She takes a little getting used to but in time, she'll rub off on you. She has a very smart mouth and she's a big know-it-all so don't kill her."

"Okay," Pam looked at me in a subtly way but said nothing about already knowing Amelia.

Turning back to Niall, Sookie just stared at him. She hugged him before stepping away. Offering him her hand one last time, she said, "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Fintan." To me, she said, "I'll call you." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. She looked into my eyes before she left the room. She barely gave me a smile when she walked away.

When she was gone, Niall's ancient hand went to his heart. "She's not human. She's not fae. She's something more than we'll ever be. She has a soul and she has heart. She makes me feel as if I've never done anything wrong. Oh, how I miss her so." He removed his jacket and held it to his face. He inhaled her scent. "My dearest Sookie," he whimpered.

Pam and I let him grieve. We understood his pain.

After a few minutes of silence, he was finally able to speak. "You can't let her go back to Shreveport without you. There is someone laying in wait to take your place. If you let her go tonight, you will lose her."

The human that she called Remy; he is of no importance to me. He didn't have the ability to take Sookie away from me. If he becomes a problem, I will take care of him then. He's only a human. He really isn't much of a threat to me. Until I have to come face to face with my 'competition' that will be the least of my concerns. I needed to know why Sookie couldn't sense that it was Niall and not Fintan.

"Why?"

"I made it that way. I can't be in her life if she's going to start her life anew. In time, things will progress but until then, she knows not of me and that's the way it should remain. And now, I must take my leave."

Niall bowed deeply to me and said, "Good evening, your majesty. I wish you and your beloved the best. Ms. Ravenscroft, stay beautiful."

Pam said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Turning back to me, Niall said, "Heed my warning, old friend. She can't leave without you. If she does, you've lost those five years for nothing and you may not get them back."

Mimicking his movements, Pam and I bowed to the last prince of Faery. "I want to thank you, Niall. I am in your debt."

With a hearty laugh, the faery said, "You've more than paid off your debt, my friend." With a sweep of his hand, he was gone.

"Pam, you go with Sookie and call me when you get there. I'm not going to lose my wife again."

**A/N: Hope that you enjoyed.**


	48. Chapter 48

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 48**

**I would like to thank you all for reading and reviewing my story. You guys are wonderful. I am going try to post 3 chapters this week. I want to keep you all updated on the story as much as possible. Thanks also to all who have read, reviewed, alerted and favorite'ed. Please know how much I appreciate all of you and I consider it a milestone the many reviews, favorites, and reads I've received from you all. You're beyond wonderful.**

**This chapter is about the ladies enjoying the club scene and Eric coming to claim the woman of his dreams.**

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><p>I watched Amelia as she jumped off of her bar stool and began wiggling her bottom. She'd downed her millionth shot of tequila all while moving her willowy hips to the music. She looked stunning in her red mini-dress. Her legs were unendingly tanned and her beautiful and teasing smile not only ran across her lips, it also reached her eyes. She motioned for me and Pam to come to her.<p>

"Let's dance, girls," she said as she offered us her hands.

Pam slid off of her stool and took Amelia's hand. Amelia twirled her around and on the second twirl Pam offered me her hand.

"Come, my dearest friend," she said. "There is much fun to be had by all."

Pam moved without effort and she looked remarkable as her body moved to the music. She looked equally mouth watering in her pink sequined body hugging dress and matching heels. Her blond hair was curled and flowed beautifully over her shoulders. Pam looked as if this was the most fun she's had in years. I don't think she's ever been this happy before and that makes me happy. My friends are beautiful when they're happy. We were all happy and I have to say it. We were the hottest ladies in the club; even though we were sweaty and tired. Well, I was sweaty and tired.

"I'm too tired," I said. "We've danced to the last four songs and I can't take it anymore. I need to rest for a minute or two. You guys go on and I'll be right here when you come back." I gave them the thumbs up to keep on dancing without me.

As the ladies danced into the crowd on the dance floor, Amelia said, "Suit yourself, Ms. Sookie." They were soon lost in the sea of people.

The DJ was making sure that everyone was having the time of their lives. Queen's _'Another One Bites the Dust'_ assaulted the club dancers with complete fierceness. The colored lights made things look faster than they really were and it was beautiful. Everyone in the club was dancing and grinding upon each other as if they were going to start the stripping their clothes off at any second. They were all; expect the vampires, glistening with sweat. It was magical. The beat of the music had taken the place of the dancer's heartbeats. Their bodies were no longer theirs. This is what being young is about; being happy and free.

While I rested my tired and blistered feet, I watched as my friends as they danced to the music. Men had surrounded them and they were basking in the attention. Dropping my shields to be sure that my girls were safe, I listened for any bad vibes. Thankfully, the men were going to live another night.

It was fun to be out with Amelia and Pam. I needed a night out with the girls. I needed to forget my problems. I needed to have a good time but I was fooling no one but myself. I needed Eric more. My plan from earlier failed.

The plan that I had to come here and have fun; to throw caution to the wind, was null and void. I really wanted to dance with every man in here but I would've felt disloyal to Eric. Earlier tonight, when those guys were dancing circles around me, it was fun and exhilarating but I knew that Eric wouldn't like it and I began to feel guilty. Two guys even stuffed their numbers in my hands. Without thinking, I stuck the numbers in my pocket.

"Would you like another drink, sweetie?" a slurred voice asked.

I turned around and looked at the drunken mess that was sitting next to me. He looked as if he'd been caught in a time warp; shirt unbuttoned down to his navel. He had on a million aluminum and chrome chains. He was wearing a pink silk shirt with matching pants. And the shoes; my goodness, they were pure white with a gold buckle and they had two inch heels. The heavy scent of his cologne was making my head spin. Combine that with the alcohol and this drunk was overpowering and it not in a good way.

I turned away from him and looked for Pam and Amelia. They were still jumping around and dancing. I should have gone with them; damned feet.

"Hey. Did you hear me, pretty lady? Do you want another drink? If you're not thirsty, I can make room for you in my special place. I'm sure that I can clear a spot off for you; a really comfortable place for you to sit." This asshole wiped off his face and waggled his tongue at me. Not even if he was the last man on earth.

"You're disgusting," I said.

"Oh, come on. Lighten up," he said. "It was a joke."

Straightening his shirt so that I could clearly see the heart bypass scar on his chest, he began fiddling with his withering chains and running his fingers through his graying hair. "How are you doing tonight? If you'd let me, I'd really love to buy you a drink."

I mustered up a smile and shook my head no. "I'm fine, thanks. You go on ahead and drink yourself into a blind frenzy." I turned my back to him and rolled my eyes.

The drunken and persistent man, well, if he was anything other than drunk, he was persistent. "I'm Johnny ...Johnny Fairplay."

"Okay," I said. Was he serious? He couldn't be serious.

"What's your name?"

"Cookie; my name is Cookie." There was no way I was going to give him my name.

From the sorrowful glances that I was getting from the women in here, I'm not the only one he's harassed. And from their minds, I learned that no lady in here has ever given him their real name. There was no way in hell I was giving him mine.

He wobbled away from the security of the bar that just so happened to be holding him in the upright position. He stood close to me and his breath was stinking of nothing but alcohol. If I was a smoker, we both would have gone up in flames.

"How are you this evening, Cookie?" He then winked at me. "You have a beautiful name, Cookie."

"I'm fine and thank you." Looking him up and down, I said, "And you are something. How are you?"

Reaching for his millionth drink, he said, "Fine after meeting you."

"Okay."

"Are you a cheerleader? I bet you are. You look firm." He looked me up and down as he licked his old lips. "Yeah, you look real firm."

He is kidding, right? "Okay."

"You sure you don't want a drink?" he asked me again with drunken and sunken in eyes. To make matters worse, those drunken eyes were fixed on my breasts. For just a few minutes I should make him go blind; just to teach him some manners but I can't do that. Desmond would be disappointed in me if I used my gifts for such nonsense.

"I'm sure," I said.

"You're a treat, Cookie." He laughed at his own stale joke.

I could feel my anger beginning to rise and I knew I had to keep calm.

He looked at the empty glass behind me and said, "Your glass is empty. I don't mind. Your lips would look so much better wet."

"That's why I have lip gloss."

"Come on, Cookie. The night is young. You're young. I used to be young. Hey, if you're worried about driving drunk, I'll give you a ride home. My truck's right outside." He used his thumb to show me where the outside is.

"No," I said. "I'm here with my girlfriends."

"We can go someplace nice and quiet …just you and me."

I wanted to laugh at him but that would have been rude. Again, I repeated my earlier statement. "I'm here with my girlfriends."

"Oh?" he asked. "Where are they?"

"They're dancing."

"Wanna join them?" He began moving his arms back and forth as if he was doing the robot.

"Well, I'm sitting here so I guess not."

"You're feisty, aren't ya?"

"You're bothering me. Look, I've really been trying to be nice but you just won't let me. I'm really not interested. I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to dance with you. You're pushing it Johnny Fairplay. You really are. So please, leave me alone."

"It's your loss," he said. With his arms out in front of him and twirling around, he said, "You could have had all of this but you just lost out, Cookie. You don't know what you're missing."

That time, I did laugh. I screamed out with laughter. I was crying with laughter as I said, "Sure, Johnny Fairplay. It's my loss. I'm glad you pointed that out to me. I think they have a support group for people like me. I'd better go and stand with that group of giggling ladies over there." I pointed the ladies that were gathered in a circle and looking at Johnny Fairplay as they laughed. "I think they're taking new members."

Johnny gave me a sideways glance when he walked away. He repositioned himself at the other end of the bar and latched himself onto another unattached blond. It didn't really matter to me just so long as he was gone and not bothering me anymore.

When I looked back to the dance floor, Pam was slow dancing with some brunette, big breasted woman and Amelia was attached to a very handsome man with two the biggest arms I'd ever seen.

When she saw me looking, she tapped herself on side of her head and looked up at him. I went into his mind and he was thinking nice, sexual thoughts; just what Amelia was looking for. I gave her the thumbs up. Pam lifted her eyebrows and she wanted me to do the same for her. I gave her a smile and a slight nod. The girl was happy to be with an attentive person. She was a little cool to the touch but that didn't matter to her. They were both in good hands.

I turned back to the bar and asked the bartender, Delia, for sangria.

"Here ya go, Sookie."

"Thanks."

Once she'd placed the drink in front of me, I'd decided that my feet were feeling a little better and after finishing my drink, I would go out there and join my friends. I watched the animated crowd. It was made up of college students, their professors, waitresses that were off duty, and married people that were pretending not to be married.

I took a sip of my drink and thought that I was glad that I didn't have to be that desperate. I didn't want to play the constant game of mind reading and the emotional games. Then I thought about Eric. I was about to check my cell to see if he'd called me but I remembered that Amelia made me leave it in the car. She knew that I would have been checking my phone the entire night. And just like that, I was sad again.

I couldn't make him want me. I couldn't make him want to make love to me and there was nothing that I could do about it. I wasn't about to sit around the house and pine over him either. That's the only reason I came to the club anyway. And anyway, I had gotten two phone numbers. I took them out of my pocket and wadded them up and placed them on the bar. I had no intentions of calling either of those guys. They aren't who I want. I want Eric.

While taking a small sip of my drink, I looked in the direction of the door. He wasn't there yet but I could feel him. His presence was so strong, I could've felt him if he'd been miles away. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. When I opened them, there he was.

I saw no one but him and with a man like Eric Northman, it's not too hard to do. He had sauntered close to where I was and he leaned over the bar; using his elbows as props. He was wearing a tight fitted black tee-shirt and jeans that left very little to the imagination. He looked so fucking sexy and he was staring right at me. Needless to say, I wasn't the only one that noticed him.

Delia went directly to him. She was knocking people out of the way to get to him. She was practically drooling all over herself when she reached him. I liked her earlier but now... she's not one of my favorite people.

Eric caught me looking at them and he saw the anger in my eyes and on my face. He then turned his attentions back to Delia and said, "May I have a Tru Blood, please?"

She almost tripped over her feet running to get it. When she returned, she placed it neatly in front of him and poured it in a glass. "Here you go." She leaned over the bar and was swooning over him.

Bitch

He nodded his head at her and thanked her. He returned his gaze to mine and I slowly looked away. I sat tall and elegantly in my plaid mini-mini-skirt. My little black bustier barely covered the swell of my breasts but I knew that Eric liked it. The same look that was on his face now, was the same look he had on his face when I left home earlier tonight.

His eyes traveled from my legs to my eyes and he took in every inch of Sookie Stackhouse. When I heard his fangs click into place, I smiled and pretended to dust off my shoes. My man growled. I looked at him over my shoulder before I stood up and winked at him. As Amelia and I walked out of the door, I heard him tell Pam to keep an eye on me.

"Make sure that they all know that she's mine," he growled. I pretended not to hear it but it made my stomach turn in flip flops and flutters.

As I thought of those words, my breath caught in my throat and heat caused my breasts to flush almost as red as my cheeks. I tried to pretend that I didn't see him watching me but I failed. I looked out of the corner of my eye and he was inhaling and his fangs dropped. I had to squeeze my legs together to try and hide what he was causing me to feel. So, I turned my back to him and looked out onto the dance floor. I could feel Eric's eyes burning into my back. I turned casually away from him and sipped my drink.

After a few more minutes of torture, I lazily looked in his direction. He was still watching me. He had no expression on his face. He hadn't moved from that spot since he'd gotten here.

Looking at my glass of sangria, I knew that it wasn't going to be strong enough. I motioned for Delia and asked, "Can I get a shot of tequila, please… oh, and Delia?"

"Yeah, Sookie," she said. Her eyes were still on Eric.

"He's mine."

She had a smug look on her face at first but when she turned to look at me, she realized that I was serious.

To make sure that she heard me, I repeated my earlier statement. "He's mine."

It took Delia two minutes to pour one shot. When she placed it in front of me, I threw my head back and swallowed it in one gulp. I got up from my seat and walked over to where Eric was standing. He admired me as I made my way to him. Heads were turning. Eyes were glaring. Wolf whistles and 'hey baby' were the greetings that I'd gotten from the drunks sitting at the bar.

He met my eyes without blinking. When I was standing in front of him, I said to him in my most southern of southern voices, "I'm Sookie Stackhouse. What's your name?"

The seductive look in his eyes almost made me melt right there. "I'm Eric Northman."

"You're mighty cute." I started to look around and behind him. I placed my hands on his arms and admired them. "And strong too; handsome and strong, a girl's dream come true. I was just wonderin', are you here alone?"

He gave me a fangy smile. "I am."

I walked circles around him and looked him up and down. When I was in front of him again, I said, "I've never seen you here before. Your first time?"

"Yes."

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Maybe," he said.

"Is she here?"

"Maybe."

"I know who you're waiting for, Buster."

"Who?"

"Me. You're waiting for me. Would you like to stand here all by yourself or would like to join me at my table over there?" I pointed to the dark and empty booth in the corner. Stepping in closer to him, I said, "I'd really like it if you'd join me."

"You lead. I'll follow." I almost passed out right there.

I took his hand and led him to the table that was in the very back of the bar. He watched every step that I took. When we were seated, I looked at Eric and asked, "Did you come here to make sure that the men here know that I'm yours?"

"Yes."

"You're awful confident. What makes you think that I want to be yours?"

"Your body told me plus, I wouldn't be fair."

I frowned at him."What do you mean?"

"You have to be mine because I am yours. Isn't that what you told the bartender?"

I think I lost my voice somewhere deep into his blue eyes.

Before I could lean in to kiss him, we had company. Pam and a very sweaty Amelia came over to us. "Amelia and I are going to go to the Cat Scratch Club. She's never been there. It's the second best vamp bar in Louisiana. Sookie, would you like to go?"

Pam looked smugly at Eric. She knew that she had angered him by inviting me but she didn't care. From what I gather, they are more like brother and sister than anything else.

I looked at Eric and decided to play with him. "Sure. I'd love to go. Sorry, Eric; my friends are ready to go and grace another club with our appearance. I'll give you my number and you can call me tomo …"

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and pulled me into his side and said, "You're not going anywhere, Sookie. You are staying right by side."

My heart was pounding in my ears and it was wonderful that Pam heard it because I loved what she had to say next. "From the way your heart's beating, I'd say that you are his."

And she was right. "Go to the Cat Scratch Club, Pam."

She hugged me and whispered, "I'm so glad you're here. I love you, Sookie and if you tell anyone that I said that, I'll hang you up by your fingernails."

I filled the bar with laughter. "Sleepover tonight?" I asked.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Eric shaking his head no at Pam and Amelia. They both laughed. Amelia said, "Maybe when you get back to Shreveport."

Eric asked, "So you're not leaving with Amelia in the morning?"

I didn't answer. Amelia did. "I'm not leaving in the morning. Pam told me about the great shopping that you have here so, Sookie and I are supposed to go shopping. I'll pick you up at 11:00?"

"Deal," I said. I kissed my girls good-bye and told them to be safe. I knew that they would be. Anyone with Amelia is going to be protected whether they know it or not. My best friend is an excellent witch.

"Dance with me." Eric's mouth was just inches from my ear.

The slow pulsating beat of the music had a hold of me; its grip was almost as tight as Eric's. A lump formed in my throat and I knew right then that I'd do anything for him. His breath was warm against my neck.

Without waiting for an answer, Eric pulled me out onto the dance floor. His hands were wrapped around my waist and were pulling me close. Though I don't know how it was possible, his cool hands caused my insides to burn with intense fire. I found it hard to not cuddle into his chest. We swayed slowly to the music as I listened to my heart pounding against his chest.

When the song was over, I looked up at him and his lips were just centimeters from mine. I stood on my tip toes to kiss him but he stepped away.

Letting his lips brush against my ear, he said, "Later, lover. We have all night."

While Eric and I were walking back to our table, I saw Johnny Fairplay standing there waiting on me and he didn't look happy. Eric felt my frustration and asked, "Is there a problem, lover?"

"No, baby," I sighed and gripped Eric's hand tightly. "There's no problem."

Eric watched Johnny Fairplay and said to me, "Should I handle him?"

"I don't want you getting into any trouble over me. We'll just go to our table and talk okay?"

Johnny Fairplay stared daggers at me and it was almost as if he didn't see the big, muscular man holding my hand.

"I thought you didn't want to dance."

When he spoke, his voice was low and menacing. He was beyond pissed. He was thinking about me not wanting to be with him; that he didn't get to dance with me or buy me that drink. His mind was going overboard with the insults that his brain started stuttering. I put my hand over my mouth to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up inside of me.

"I didn't want to dance …with you."

"I see that you changed your mind about that drink too."

"You're rather sharp for a drunk," I said as I nodded and smiled at him.

"Well, Cookie, since you've changed your mind about dancing then why don't you bring your young, firm cheerleading ass out onto the floor with me." Johnny Fairplay put his sweaty meat hooks on my arm and tried pulling me with him.

I jerked my arm away from him. I could feel myself beginning to tremble from anger but Eric placed his hand on my shoulder and said; only loud enough for me to hear, "No more of what happened this afternoon, lover. Save that for home."

How did he know?

Eric slid easily in front of me. He took a slow and deliberate step in front of Johnny Fairplay and gave him a chilling and evil look. He was more than five inches taller than Johnny. I watched him with intensity as he stared down at his possible victim. Johnny's menacing smile and expression were soon gone. But with Eric; if I couldn't have felt him, I never would've known what he was feeling. His expression betrayed nothing.

Swoon.

"Because my wife would be angry, I will allow you a chance to apologize for offending her." His fangs slowly descended.

What?

Wife?

"But if you touch her again, I will not be so generous. I will kill you without thought but first, I'd crush every bone in your body; starting with your hands. You do understand me?" Eric then did a very human thing. He chuckled and shook his head. "Of course you don't. If you touch her again, I will gladly take the time out of my busy schedule to ensure that you do understand."

Johnny Fairplay nodded. "I apologize, Cookie. I never meant to offend you." He staggered as he began walking backwards; bumping into people and being pushed to the side. He never noticed.

When Johnny Fairplay was gone, Eric turned to face me. "He did not hurt you did he? I will kill him if he's caused you pain."

"Awww; you're so sweet," I gushed. I stood on my tip toes and kissed his cheek. "He didn't hurt little ol' me. Would you have really killed him for me?"

Without blinking an eye, Eric said, "In a second." And once again, the expression on his face did not betray a single emotion. "Cookie?"

"Don't I look like a Cookie?"

His fangs dropped.

He IS the one. We needed to talk about my memories and about him calling me his wife and we couldn't do it in a loud club. "Let's not sit in a dark corner. Let's go for a walk," I suggested.

"I'll go anywhere with you." Eric spoke with that sexy accent of his and it was the sexiest sound in the world. Just as I'd predicted earlier, I could see it happening. I was going to be as easy as my LSU sorority sisters during our SoRo and frat parties. There was only one thing to say; sorry, Gran.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

As we walked along the New Orleans streets, Eric held my hand. "I heard Amelia telling Pam about a week long reunion that you ladies having coming up in a few weeks. She said that you two were planning on going?" It was more of a question than a statement. He almost sounded as if he didn't want me to go.

"Yeah; it's more like a gathering of braggers; who's more successful, who has better looking children, whose husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend looks better, whose aged better or gained weight." I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know why we're having a reunion. It's only been five years. Most people have the reunions ten years after graduation. I guess sororities do it differently."

"So you're not going?"

"Oh, yeah; I'm going."

He chuckled. "You sound as if you don't think much of your sorority sisters."

"I don't."

"But you enjoyed college?" he asked.

"Loved it," I answered. "It's just that my talents made it hard for me to get along with people because I knew what they were thinking of me. I did a few things to get even but nothing that was too harsh but I don't have the need to see any of them. There is only reason I want to go."

"What's that, lover?"

Simply put, I said, "Bragging rights."

We filled the night air with laughter. As we walked along and talked about my sorority sisters, I got a few cat calls and whistles. Eric didn't like it but he remained calm and even.

"I must look like a tramp. I apologize for my club attire but I never walk the streets after leaving a club. I'm usually driving. My maxi dresses don't exactly cut it in the club scene. I apologize."

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

"You're just trying to flatter me because I look like a tramp and think that you might get lucky."

"Is it working?"

With my thumb and point finger pinched just a little, I said, "A little bit."

As we walked a little further, I could hear jazz music playing and it sounded beautiful. Eric looked at the smile on my face and said, "We're on Frenchmen's Street. They have the best jazz music you'll ever want to hear. Would you like to sit and listen to the music?" He pointed to a cement bench that was located in the middle of a flower garden.

"I'd love to." When I sat on the bench, my bottom was in for quite a shock. Though it was a warm night, the bench was cold.

Eric patted his lap. "It's warm …and I won't try anything. I promise."

I frowned at him. "What's the point in sitting on your lap then?"

He laughed while I took my seat. He wrapped his arms protectively around me. I'd never felt safer in all of my life.

Crossing my legs and resting my hand demurely on my knees, I faced Eric. "So, tell me some things that I don't know about you. What about your human life? Did you have a family …wife, children?"

Come to find out, he had an entire family and spoke about them as if they'd just parted ways only a little while ago but there was no emotion in his voice. It was if they were mere strangers to him. He said that he never got to see his wife and children again when he was turned. He said that his maker made him leave their town that night. He missed them but in time, he forgot about them. The small things went first; the color of their eyes, the way they sounded when they laughed, and the sounds of their voices. In time, he forgot what they looked like.

"You forget a lot of things after living for over a thousand years," he said absently.

As Eric talked about his former life, he had to go through hundreds of years to sort through some things that were bound to have been forgotten. I watched him as he told me the sad story of his life. His arm was wrapped around my waist and the other was resting on my hand.

"Did you love her?" I asked. "Aude, I mean. Did you love her?"

"I don't know that I did. I never felt for her what I feel for you. Isn't that funny? After so many years, I can remember that I didn't love her as I love you but I can't remember what she looks like." After a few seconds of looking into my eyes, he said, "No. I didn't love her."

"Do you think that she loved you?"

"No." He answered rather quickly. "It was an arranged marriage. Our fathers were very prominent members of society. We were married for a few years. Over time, we grew used to each other; nothing more." His answers were definite and finite.

"That's so sad; to marry and have children with someone that you don't love." I kissed him softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like I don't know what love is."

I stood from his lap and offered him my hand. "Let's dance."

When he took my hand, I could feel a serious wave of lust fill me. Immediately my heart started to hammer loudly in my ears. He was just so... so... fucking hot! I had the overpowering need to be with him. I needed to feel the touch his skin against mine. He ran his big hand down my bare back, and I shivered with pleasure as we danced under the New Orleans moon to 'Every Time We Say Goodbye'.

I wanted him so desperately that my stomach was in knots. I wanted him to hold me and make love to me. I never wanted it to end. "I've had a great time with you tonight."

"I'm sorry …."

I placed my finger on his lip and said, "No. I've had a great time with you tonight."

"So have I, lover," he said.

His lips were warm and soft against mine. A rush of sensation flooded through me. My cheeks were flushed and my body was tingling from his kiss, from his touch. I was tingling all over from just one touch of his hand.

In that sexy voice of his, he said, "I want you Sookie."

Everything that I'd ever been taught was about to be thrown out of the window. No one has ever done this to me. No man has ever made me happier than I've been in these last few days. This is completely unbelievable. What has he done to me? Why have I let him do this to me?

"What is it about you, Eric Northman? Why can I feel you? Why do I want you?"

He only smiled.

Catching him off guard, I asked, "Am I the one you've been waiting for? Am I your long lost love? You've been waiting for me."

He stopped moving and began panting; though he didn't have to.

"I'm your wife," I whispered. "Tell me, baby. Am I your wife?"

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. We continued to hold onto each other and rock from side to side. I placed my hands on either side of his face.

"Look at me, baby."

His eyes were rimmed with bloody tears.

"Oh my stars," I said.

Suddenly a frenzied and hurried mind came running from the woods. He was going to kill Eric. I ran in the direction of the man's mind and I got him.

I fucking got him!

I had him lying on his back and my hand was wrapped around his throat. Well, or what used to be his throat. I stood up and looked down at Eric's now dead enemy. I could feel Eric standing behind me. I could feel his pride and joy at what I'd done.

"He was going to kill you but I got him first."

I closed my eyes and listened to our surroundings and people were coming. I turned to face Eric to tell him but I began to feel a little lightheaded. The four tequila shots and the three sangrias were kicking my ass.

"We have to go."

When I caught Eric's eyes, he looked terrified.

"It's okay. If we leave now, no one will know what I've done but we have to go now," I said as I staggered backwards. "People are coming."

He just stared.

"What?"

I followed his eyes and I didn't feel it until I saw it. There was a knife sticking out of me. Only the handle could be seen. Wide eyed and terrified, I locked eyes with Eric and said, "Shit. I didn't even feel it."

Before I passed out, Eric had me in his arms. My last thoughts were that this really sucks. Just as I was about to ….


	49. Chapter 49

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 49**

**I wanted to get this chapter posted last week but I had a surprise birthday party and it threw my entire plan out of the window. And since I was just released from the drink tank, I am just now able to post this chapter! Happy birthday to me!**

**Thanks for all of your great review, favorites, and alerts. I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the last 48. I won't keep you lingering for too long when it comes to finding out if Sookie has regained her memories. Will she remember her time in Fae or will she still just hold onto her LSU memories? Will she fully begin to understand what she is and why she was sent back to Eric? In the end, will it all really matter?**

**This chapter will be written in Eric's PoV.**

* * *

><p>I had Sookie in bed and undressed in less than forty-five seconds. The knife was still protruding from her stomach. It reminded me of the stake that was once embedded inside of her. The only difference is that she was awake and I was able to prepare her for the inevitable. I was able to take her mind off of the pain that she was to face. At that precise moment, I, Eric Northman, former sheriff of Area Five and the now king of three territories, had not idea of what I needed to do. I didn't know how to handle this situation.<p>

Normally, I'm usually in control and can almost handle anything but because things are so different with Sookie now, I'm confused and filled with worry and concern. I ...I feel almost ... (gulp)...human.

I watched her and she appeared to be quite peaceful but what if there was more to it than I realized? Her eyes were closed and she was breathing as if she was sleeping. I looked at the knife and thought that the only one thing for me to do was to pull it from her side. I needed to pull the knife out of her side and give her my blood. I could massage her throat and let my blood flow into her body. She would be able to heal and she will be back to normal. Well, as normal as she was before she was stabbed. I figured that once my chore was complete, she'd wake up and she was going to be fine. That was my only option. Just as I'd gripped my hand around the handle of the knife, my cell phone rang.

When I answered my phone, the voice on the other end of the line was hostile and authoritative. The voice meant business. "Take your hand off of the handle of that knife, Viking," Niall said.

I couldn't move. I didn't know what to say. I kept my hand on the handle of the knife.

"Do as I've said vampire. You can't pull that knife out of her. You can't do it. You'll cause more harm than good. You jerk that knife out of her you may as well kill her yourself."

I removed my hand from the knife.

"Good. Now, I'm calling you because of what happened. I know what you want to do but you can't. Don't give her your blood. She has to want it. You will have to give it time, old friend. If you wait, the knife is slowly going to extract itself from her body. She'll heal but she'll heal on her own and in her own time. You'll have to give her a few days and she'll be fine. In the earthly realm it will take her longer to heal. There is another option."

"NO!" I said to firmly.

Niall ignored me completely and continued talking. "I can always bring her home and she can heal here. It'll only take, what, maybe three or four hours at the most. She'll be surrounded by her people and everything will be just fine. Just give me the word and I'm on ..."

"No! She'll heal here. You will not take her away from me again. She is my wife!"

His laugh sounded like bells. "So be it. Oh and help is on the way."

Just as Niall ended the call, Pam burst into the room pulling Dr. Ludwig behind her. She pushed Ludwig towards the bed and went to the other side of Sookie's bed.

"You're the doctor ...now get over there and doctor!" Pam looked at me with wide, frightened eyes. "What the fuck happened?"

"Someone was going to kill me." I looked at Ludwig and decided to save the details for later. "She stopped him by crushing his throat into the ground. She was excited and happy that she'd killed him. She didn't realize that she was hurt until after that she had been stabbed."

Pam stared down at her. "I shouldn't have gone with Amelia. I should have stayed with you and Sookie. This never would have happened if I were with you." Pam looked at me; her eyes longing and filled with sadness. "We just got her back."

I held her in my arms and said, "Don't blame yourself, Pam. We'll take care of those that are to blame. In time, dear one, in time."

"If you two don't get out of my way, I can't do what I came here for. Now move!" Ludwig pushed me to the side and poured some liquid down Sookie's throat.

Before I could ask what it was, she said, "It's from the prince. That's all I know and that's all I'm supposed to know. When it comes to Niall, you only get know on a need to know basis. You should know that, Northman." When the vial was empty, Ludwig stuck it in her pocket. "That's it. And you, Viking; don't give her your blood."

"You're not going leave that knife in her are you? What the fuck are you here for if you're not going to doctor on her?" Pam was furious. Before Pam could grip the handle, I stopped her before she could do any damage.

"Pam, we cannot."

"You trust this?" Pam asked.

"I do."

Pam didn't understand why Sookie was to lie there with a knife embedded into her stomach. Until I had a chance to explain it to her, she would just have to wait.

Giving my attentions to Dr. Ludwig, I said, "Thanks, doctor. Your help is always greatly appreciated."

"Whatever," she grumbled. Pam was standing in front of her. "Wanna move, vamp? You're keeping me from my other patients."

"Always a pleasure …Megan," Pam mocked. She knew how Ludwig hated to be called by her given name but whenever she seized the chance, Pam called her Megan.

"Fuck you, vampire," Ludwig said as she gave Pam the finger.

"I've always known that you had a hankering for vamp loving. If you play your cards right …"

"Not now, Pamela. Thank you, Ludwig."

"Yeah," she said as she rolled her bug eyes at me and left.

"Pam, Bill is waiting for you at the Grey Gardens. You have a job to plan."

"I'll make you proud, master." She gave me a fangy smile, bent down to kiss Sookie and she was gone.

That was over four nights ago.

Each night I'd wait by her side. I'd sit helplessly with her and watch her as she shuddered and spasm-ed. With each tic, the knife would extract itself a little at a time. When I'd awoken tonight, the knife was lying on the floor by the bed. I pulled her nightgown up to see if there was any damage and there was no sign of a stab wound. Not a scab or a mark. If I hadn't been there with her when it happened, I never would have known that she was attacked.

I knew that she was alright because I'd see an occasional flutter of her eyes and the rise and fall of her chest. The sounds of her heartbeat and her rhythmic breathing filled the silence of my lady's chamber. She was resting peacefully as I watched her. I began thinking of Niall's visit and his comments about the personalities of the supernaturals.

He said that that we don't have souls. What I heard over and over again was that he didn't know that he didn't have a soul until he spent those five years with Sookie. In a way, he was right; about supes not having souls. Let me change that. He was right to a certain degree …but not about me.

I have a soul. I have to have one. How could I have ever felt anything if I didn't have a soul; anger, hate, contempt? One has to have a soul to feel even the ugliest of emotions. But love? Love is not like the other emotions. It's easy to feel anger, hate, and contempt … but not love.

How can I love if I have no soul? How can she love me? How can I love her? Dead things can't love ...but I can. My child can. The vampires that remember Sookie can. If vampires didn't have souls, how could we feel anything? The vampires that remembered Sookie felt surprise and joy when she reentered our lives. If we didn't have souls, how could we possibly feel the strongest of emotions …the best of all emotions?

I thought about the time she asked me if I could dream and I told her no. I told her that because I am dead and have no soul, I can't dream. There are times when humans don't dream. Does that mean that they have no souls? I have to have a soul. I may not have dreamed but I had something better. The one thing that makes me feel as if I have a soul is that I have hope. I was holding hope's hand.

Sookie made me hope and dream for things. I'd never cared for anyone before other than myself and Pam. She's made me want things that I never wanted before. I want a normal low key life … free of enemies, free of other vampires and supes coming to me with their hands out.

She makes me wish that I could give her a family. If we could have a normal life, we would have no burdens. I wouldn't have to worry about protecting them because we would have a normal life. I've wondered often if they'd be like me or if they'd be like their mother. If I didn't know love, why would I care? Why would I didn't know how to love, why would I care?

"Because I have a soul," I whispered to my lover.

The corner of her mouth twitched into a funny smile. Well, it would have been a smile if she'd been awake.

As I rested my head on my lover's hand, there was a light tap on the door frame to her room. Standing so that I could hide her from the vampire's view, I turned to face my visitor.

"Bill," I said.

"Your majesty," he said with a bow.

"What can I do for you?" He kept his eyes on me; never looking at the beautiful woman lying in the bed behind me. He stayed by the door to give the updates on the job that I had he and Pam had worked on a few nights ago.

"We've located them and staked out the first location. They're no longer holed up in a church. They have taken to hiding in a small unassuming house and a vacant warehouse. Newlin stays in the house and that's where he and the head honchos of the BVA meet up to discuss getting rid of our kind and the other supes of this world. They never go to the warehouse. They send their orders through a messaging service. Newlin will only go there when there are missions that have to be planned or completed. Since he's planning the memorial service for his wife, he hasn't made any plans on killing our kind just yet. Now that you've killed his brother, he has another memorial service to plan." Bill gave a fangy smile.

Sookie's hand jerked. I stared down at her. She was still sleeping but she appeared to be fine. I then asked, "You learned this how?"

"On the night of your human's attack, Maxwell Lee and Thalia returned to find a human man crying over the corpse with the crushed throat. They captured him and questioned him. He said that the dead man was Steve Newlin's brother; Isaac. They've taken the prisoner to the place."

The Torture Chamber

Bloody Hell

Or what vampires like to call Pam's Playground.

"Did you try to call the phone numbers that I gave to you?" I had gone through Sookie's phone and retrieved the phone numbers that she'd taken from Sarah Newlin's phone.

"Yes sir, we did. Each number was no longer in service. Pam suggested that they may have dumped the phones when Sarah's and Casey's phones were not found in the car with their bodies."

They'd be fools if they hadn't gotten rid of the phones.

Still keeping her out of his view, I leaned down and kissed Sookie's forehead before I gave Bill my full attention once again. I praised him for the job that he had done. "Very good; is the warehouse occupied tonight?"

Bill's fangy smile was even fangier than before. "Yes."

"Then let us grace them with our appearance."

Bill was ecstatic. "I'll get the others."

'Before you go, send Mustapha to me."

"Yes, your majesty." Bill was gone in a blur.

Within seconds, Mustapha was in Sookie's room. I never had to give him his orders. He knew what needed to be done. His efficiency and loyalty were more than I could have expected from a Were. He watched his mistress as he rattled off what he'd already done.

"I've already had Warren go into hiding. He has three of your most efficient bodyguards with him. Heidi is patrolling the grounds. We'll kill anyone if they even look towards this house."

After kissing her lightly, I said to her, "I'll return to your side in no time, lover." I looked at Mustapha and thanked him.

As I was leaving the room, Mustapha said, "She's strong."

"I know," I answered as I left the room.

He followed me from the room; closing the door behind him. He stood in front of the door with his arms crossed in front of his body. "My life for hers," he murmured.

Sookie's face appeared in my mind. Her lovely blue eyes gleamed with adoration as she looked at me. Whenever she would see my face, her eyes would fill with love and life. Her sweet lips would curl up into a welcoming smile that was for none other than her baby, her vampire. My mind began to replay the many times we'd shared and talked. It replayed the many times that we made love. I could see her blond hair cascading down her back as she rode me to completion. My mind relished the memories of my wife.

She's mine.

She was taken from me once before. It will not happen again. So, in a way, Mustapha was right. The attempt on her life will be paid with for a life but not with his.

Saying to Mustapha before leaving, I said, "Not your life my friend; theirs, their lives for hers."

* * *

><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

* * *

><p>We arrived on 360 Julia Street just as the street lamps were coming on. The area was almost like the neighborhood that the WereWitch War was in held a few years ago. Sookie was brave even then.

"The area is abandoned at this time of night. There are a few houses here but they're mostly used for small businesses. The neighborhood is basically empty so there shouldn't be any human deaths," Bill said as we walked to the warehouse.

"Master, I'm glad to see that you've come to join us," Pam said as she walked over to meet me. "I can assume that all is well at the royal residence."

"Yes."

We exchanged deadly smiles. We both knew that things would be even better after tonight. The death of our enemies will be the icing on the cake.

With her arm draped leisurely over my shoulder, Pam smiled at Bill; her sworn and lifelong enemy. "I must say that I am happy to have been invited to the party this time. I fear that if I hadn't been a part of the planning, I would be nothing more than an unhappy and very deadly bystander. I am pleased with how you've handled this situation. Bill, you've done well. I've decided not to kill you tonight."

Bill rolled his eyes and waved off her comments; not realizing that she was serious. "Anyway, your majesty," he said in a mocking tone. "There are ten men and one woman. Four of the men are part of the BVA. The killer is called The Burner. He's a BVA member; former head bodyguard for the FoTSs when they first came to be. He's supposedly taken many of our kind to their death. He's also the one that planned the previous night's attack. I figured that you would want him."

Bill is making me prouder and prouder with each passing second. "You figured correctly."

"The others that are in attendance are FoTSs members. Pam, I think you can handle the elderly woman. She's about 100 years old. She's about your speed; old, feeble, and weak." Bill failed at hiding his amusement.

"If anything, she sounds like you. I'd gladly take her out first so that I can quickly take over what you can't ...I mean _won't_ be able to handle."

"For your information…" Bill started.

"Children, I'd hate to send you two to your rooms without dessert," I said. "Continue on with the plan, Bill."

Bill's face was instantly serious and back to the business at hand. "The plan's already in motion. We're here to kill them. The local vampire cleanup crew is going to clean up the mess. The Weres are going to bury the bodies."

"For a price?" Pam asked. "Many of them never offer to do anything for free."

Bill shook his head no. "They're more than willing to join our cause. Some of their pack members are missing. They're missing quite a few Weres in various states. Louisiana is one of them.

They never told me but even if they had, I probably wouldn't have noticed. With Sookie being taken and then suddenly returning, I haven't been able to focus on much of anything. Bill's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"After we kill them, we were thinking that we could burn the building down but that would look suspicious."

"I think that's a good idea. It's supposed to be empty. It's filled with wood pallets and such. A fire would be best."

I nodded in agreement.

Pam continued talking. "As you know, Russell wants to get an update with what happens tonight. He's said that his plan with the BVAs will soon come to pass. He said that he had a human that we could use tonight. I told him that we wouldn't need him. We were more than fine. Anyway, he and Bart are staying in the French Quarters with one of their most trusted humans and are on standby."

"Well, done. Now, let's get this over with," I said.

When we walked into the warehouse, the overhead lights flickered as if they were connected to a timer. I and the Murderous Crew stood at the back of the warehouse and took in our surroundings.

I know that I'm a vampire and I've been in less than stellar places before but this place made even me feel disgusting. I can't imagine how it made the humans that used to be employed here feel. The building was the birthplace for mold and spores. The walls that used to be white were now beige and yellow because of the stale cigarette smoke and other pollutants over the years. The cement floors were carpeted in dust and dirt. The small windows that used to be clean were now black from years of neglect. They were covered in years of dirt, dust, and whatever else had passed through this warehouse. There were signs of neglect everywhere you turned.

"It's a good thing that we wore black," Thalia stated. "We blend in perfectly with the floors and the windows."

A snort escaped Maxwell Lee before he could catch himself. He looked at me from the corner of his eye and said in his most serious voice, "I've secured the doors so no one can escape, master."

Each of us walked from the back of the warehouse as if we owned the place. Bill and Indira went in one direction. Maxwell Lee and Thalia went the other way. Pam and I strode down the middle aisle. The 100 year old lady that Bill spoke of earlier was the first one we just so happened to encounter.

When we reached the old lady that was sitting at the desk, she looked up at us and then back down at her papers. She shook her head and mumbled that she couldn't believe her fucking luck.

Pam and I were slightly amused at her reaction to seeing us. It was almost as if she didn't. After about five minutes or so of ignoring us, she looked up and said, "Yeah," and went back to her paperwork.

Pam leaned on the lady's ancient and rusted metal desk and said, "I want to see the one that you call The Burner."

The old lady still didn't bother to look at Pam chuckled. She had a laugh that sounded as if she'd smoked cigars and drank whiskey since the day she was born. I can only imagine what she sounded like as a child. But I have to admit, she had nerve. She showed not an ounce of fear.

"For what? You ain't got no meeting wit' him. If you did, you'd know that he ain't here. So why don't you make it so you ain't here. I ain't got time for nobody's bullshit, little lady; especially not yours. Now go on. Kick rocks." She licked her thumb and proceeded to go through the stack of papers.

I filled the room with laughter. It almost gave me a glimpse of what I'm in for when Sookie gets older …not visually; thank the gods but as far as her attitude goes, they could almost pass for twins.

Before Pam could attack the oldster, she heard something. With my head, I motioned for her to investigate the noise. Swiftly and easily, I watched her as she melted into the shadows.

When she was gone, I took her former position of leaning onto the metal desk. "Look at me," I ordered.

She slammed her fists on the desk. "What the fuck do you want? I done told you once that there ain't nobody here names The Burner. I ain't never had no dealings with the likes of him. I just do the damn paperwork. See," she said as she lifted the stack of papers for me to see.

"Look at me."

She finally looked at me and she dropped the papers.

When she looked up at me, I grabbed a hold of her eyes and glamored her. For the first time since we've been here, she showed fear and I was able to see the truth.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk …you're lying to me." I pulled my lips back and let my fangs slowly descend from my gums.

She gulped.

"What's your name?"

"Agnes. But you can call me Aggie."

"You're not a liar are you, Agnes?"

"Not on a regular basis," she said. "They make me tell lies. I don't want to lie but they'll kill me. How awful would it be if I had my throat slit and I'm already 75? I ain't got time for no bullshit."

Because Agnes was entertaining to me, I'd decided to cut her a break. I retracted my fangs and released her from my glamor as I continued to talk with her. "I'll make a deal with you, Agnes. If you tell me where I can find the Burner, you won't have a thing to worry about. No one will hurt you. No one will ever know that I was here."

"How can you do that? They's got cameras everywhere."

I waved my hand in front of her. "Don't worry about the cameras, Agnes. They've already been taken care of. Like you said, we ain't got time for no bullshit."

She cackled.

I handed her all of the cash that I had in my wallet. "Now, where is he?"

She snatched the money from my hand and said, "He was in the back. They's planning on taking out this big vampire that supposed to be really powerful. They's got mad because he killed the head man's brother. He's got two other mens with him. They's got stakes and silver weapons wit' 'em. Won't do 'em much good. They's all drunk. Drunk bastards."

I wondered if the others know what I look like. It didn't matter that Agnes knows. Maybe no one here knows what I look like. There's only one way to find out. "Do they know what he looks like?"

"No. Only the big man knows what he looks like." She whispered and said, "The other man is from the government. His name is Brunswick. He's the one that they call The Burner."

"Well done, Agnes."

Her shoulders finally relaxed. "You're not gonna kill me?"

"No." I put the glamor back on. "You never saw me. When you leave this room, you'll remember that no one was here but you. You left early to have some fun. You didn't see anyone here tonight before you left."

"I sho' didn't."

"You won that money when you went to Bossier to gamble tonight. You played the slots and won big. You're the queen of the slots. You've never won a thousand dollars before."

She cackled even louder than before. "I sure as shit did! Hot damn! They's thought that I was gon' play blackjack but not me hot dammit! I wasn't gon' let them bastards cheat me again!"

"'Cause you ain't standing for no bullshit," I said.

"I sure as shit ain't!"

I almost smiled. "You go on home, Agnes. You're tired after all that gambling and drinking. You've had a big night. A good night's rest will do you a world of good."

She began to yawn and stagger when she stood up. Weak minds are easy to control; especially old ones. "You know sonny boy, you's gon' make some little lady a lucky woman. I sees goodness in you." She staggered over to the coat rack and grabbed her coat and her purse. She waved good-bye over her shoulder and she was gone.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>When I went back to our original meeting spot, my vampires were there waiting for me. I filled them in on what Agnes told me. I told them about the men and the weapons that they had. Once I was done, Pam began to speak.<p>

"There are men sitting at a table in the back playing cards and drinking. Bill and Maxwell have already disabled the cameras. The men, they're not paying attention to anyone or anything but they are armed." She began laughing. "Their weapons are resting on the table on the other side of the room but they're armed none the less."

Bill asked, "Agnes didn't know what you looked like?"

"None of them here do," I said. "Only Newlin and the man named Brunswick. He's the one that they call The Burner. She also told me that the men that are here are drunk."

I could see Bill's mind going at a million miles a second. "We can handle them rather quickly. We're going to have to save one of them to get updated information on Newlin and Brunswick …maybe two." He had his thumb and forefinger on his chin. "Yeah, that's exactly what we'll have to do."

Thalia giggled. When she giggles, be afraid. Be very afraid. "I know which one that we should take; the biggest and baddest one of the bunch." She looked at me and said, "We can't kill The Burner, Eric. We can have so much fun with him before we kill him." Her smile was evil and beautiful all at once.

When she noticed me staring at her, she added, "But not before we question him first."

She's a good vampire. And when the time comes, I'll give her the joy of killing The Burner. "Fine and when we're done with him, he's yours."

Her fangs snicked into place slowly and she bowed deeply. "Thank you, master. I am forever in your debt."

"Bill, proceed," I ordered.

While the most trusted of my retinue further discussed the most practical and cleanest plan possible, I thought of Sookie. I thought about the boldness and the courage that those stupid and ignorant men had to attack us. Though she was never their intended target, they would pay and pay dearly for what they did to her. Did they really think that their attack on my wife would be forgotten? Did they think that it would be forgiven? Did they think that I would allow them to take her away from me? Did they think that I'd just let her go when I'd just gotten her back? They were sorely mistaken.

For the first time in years, I'd decided to let the beast within me run rampant. I was going to let him take center stage. I had no other choice. Fate has seen fit to send her back to me. She was again by my side where she belongs. May the God that the humans pray to take pity upon them for I will not. Many vampires have known of my brutality. Few have lived to tell the tale and have refused to cross my path ever again. I feel no pity for those that will be on the receiving end of my hate and anger this night. I closed my eyes so that I could see her face; her beautiful face and her most glorious eyes but alas; that was not the sight before me.

Sookie's face was filled with pain and fear once she'd realized she been stabbed. She looked from me to the knife to me again. The handle of the blade was sticking out of her stomach. My eyes were soon filled with brutality and blood lust; the gifts that I will soon bestow upon my enemies. An anguished roar filled the warehouse putting an end to the conversation of my most trusted vampires. Fangs clicked from all around. The growls and the sounds of murder are all that I could hear right then. They were all that I wanted to hear.

"Our enemies will pay tonight. We will show them no mercy. We will make them beg for their lives. They're looking for blood and vengeance," I said to my vampires. "Let's give them what they seek."

Instantly, we were gone to make them see that they are the inferior beings of this world.

Longbows

Bows and arrows

Wooden bullets

Silver bullets

Kitanas

Sabers

Every weapon that you could think of was in that room.

They never got to use a single one of them.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you all so much for reading. Let me know what you think. And again, your time is priceless and I love that you have given it to me and this story. Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think. I'd love it.**


	50. Chapter 50

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 50**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Your time is the best gift that you can give to me and I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. As I writing the story, I realized that's no longer my story but it's ours. You guys make me want to keep writing and you all keep me motivated. If it weren't for all of you, I would have probably never finished it. Thank you so much.**

**This chapter will be the conclusion of what has happened in the warehouse and a surprise visit from two of our earlier vampires. I wonder if they'll remember Sookie when they see her …if they see her. Enjoy.**

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><p>Tonight's massacre was beautiful and majestic. The image of Pam using the enemies' weapons to kill them was more than beautiful. It was exquisite. My child is fucking amazing when it comes to using the steel. Seeing her slice the head off of the human target that attempted to attack her from behind was the proudest moment of my existence. Hearing the sounds of her blade slicing through the air was like hearing Mozart for the first time. It was like Beethoven completing his very first masterpiece.<p>

As not to be out done, Thalia took out two more of the humans before they could even jump up from their chairs. Her body strength and anger were fueled even more by the knowledge that they wanted to kill us without reason.

We'd never attacked them. We'd harmed not a single hair on their heads but they wanted to wipe us out of existence for absolutely no cause at all. What they wanted was to be no more than a dream. It wasn't going to happen today. Thalia was going to be sure of that. One man was split in half; the other had a hole in the middle of his face. I was proud of my fiercest warriors.

Though I was willing to save my rampage for The Burner, a silly human wouldn't allow it. He had other plans but those plans were not meant to be. The human; the silly human, thought that hitting me on the back with a metal chair would be enough to take me down. Alas; he was wrong. He was dead wrong.

With a quick swipe of my clawed hand, the man was headless and his heart was ripped from his chest before he had a chance to even hit the floor. He looked down at the gaping hole and then back at me before falling onto the floor. The look on his face was priceless. His eyes and mouth were wide open from surprise. Sookie would have been proud.

Maxwell Lee's and Bill's blades were also slashing and flying through the air. The blood that sprayed the air landed on their happy and smiling vampiric faces. Heads were rolling across the floor. Innards were lying on the floor around their feet. Emptied and soulless bodies were thrown around as if they were pieces of trash. Only one man remained alive but I knew that wouldn't be for long. Pam would be sure of that.

The scared human was cowering in a corner ...crying. With his eyes squeezed closed, he began shaking his head back and forth as if he was trying to wake himself up from this too real nightmare. When he opened his eyes, he screamed. That only made things worse for him.

Pam walked towards him as if she was a lion and he was her prey. The look on her face should have been enough to give him a heart attack and kill him on the spot. Pam picked him up by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Very slowly and methodically, she pierced his thigh with a knife.

"Where is The Burner?" she asked.

The scrawny human cried out. "I don't know! He left earlier this evening!"

Pam twisted the knife deeper into his thigh and forced it through the bone with one quick twist of the blade. "Tell me!"

He could only shake his head. The pain that he was feeling made it almost impossible for him to respond to her. He needed to answer her question and soon because things would only get worse for him.

As I leaned over to look into the screaming and tormented man's face, I said, "Where does he live? And remember little human, it would work in to your advantage if you not lie to me."

When he looked at me, he screamed even louder. He squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head from side to side. His entire body began to tremble. The color was draining from his face. Fear and pain could not coax a single word to escape his mouth.

Since he was unable to speak, Pam helped him out …but only a little. She pushed the knife into his leg just a little bit deeper. She twisted it only a little as she forced it into the already gaping hole; causing the bone to splinter and break.

"No! No! No!" he yelled. "I don't know where he is! I swear! He left earlier today! No one knows where he lives or where he stays! Please let me go!" His pleas were getting weaker and fainter.

I stood upright and looked down at the human. He was dying and I knew that he was telling the truth. Humans will tell everything that they know when they're dying and this man was no exception but what he told us wasn't nearly enough. I needed to get what I could out of him before he died. I had to give him false hope.

"Before you're released, I need for you to answer something for me. Do you know if he's to meet Newlin about killing the handsome and powerful vampire that they seem to be jealous of?"

Pam jerked the knife out of the silly human's leg and looked at me. "Are you serious?"

I looked at her with raised eyebrows and asked, "What?"

She knew that it was true. She knows that I'm handsome and powerful. There was no need in her feigning surprise. She knows exactly what I look like and what I am but if she'd forgotten, it was my duty as her maker and king to remind her. But the dead guy didn't give me a chance to answer Pam on how serious I really was. He decided to answer my question.

"I don't know who he is or what he looks like but they know where he lives. He lives in that big old house in the French Quarter. They've been staking out his house for quite some time now. That's all I know. Please take me to a doctor. I'm dying. Please don't let me die." His head fell back a little and his eyes began to flutter. His blood had pooled around Pam's feet.

"I'm proud of you, human," Pam said.

He opened his just a little and said in a weak voice, "Will you let me go?"

"You've done a very good job," Pam said. She stroked his cheek as if he was her favorite pet …right before she slit his throat. She watched as his head slumped forward and his chin touched his chest. She asked, "So, what do we do?" She took a step back as the man's blood began to ease closer and closer to her expensive combat boots.

"We kill them." I said. "But in time my dearest child."

That was over an hour ago. We were now standing in the foyer of the Royal Meeting Hall. We discussed what we'd done this night. I stood before my small but deadly murderous crew and I told them how proud I was of them. I told them that their loyalty to me and my wife was the greatest of honors.

"Nothing or no one can defeat us as long as we stand as one. They dare to treat us as if we are less than nothing? Do they believe that we will not defend ourselves? Oh dear ones, they are sorely mistaken. We cannot let such trespasses go by without punishment. If they go unpunished, they will think of us as prey. They may think that their laws will protect them but they are wrong. They may think that their anarchist ways will save them but they will not. We will stand tall in these darkest of hours and our enemies will fall at our feet."

Though there were only five of us, anyone walking by would have believed that there were fifty vampires in attendance. There were fangs clicking into place and deep growls. There was a rabid and murderous rage that filled them all. The dark and deadly yet happy vampires were more than pleased with what we'd accomplished tonight.

"We will have our vengeance and when we do, do what you will with the others but I want the heads of their factions. The leaders are mine. There will be no need to rush, my children. The anticipation of the kill will make it worth the wait. Vengeance will be ours."

Again, rabid and dangerous cheers filled the air.

Pam's cell began to ring. Without as much as word being said; not uttering as much as a hello or a good-bye, Pam ended her call. "Our plan is on schedule and Bart and Russell are here. The guards are leading them here now."

"I'll meet you all in the conference room," I said. As I walked away, I thought about all we'd done. With only two hours being gone from the night, we'd accomplished more than expected. We killed a few of our enemies. The first leg of our plan was a success. The second part of Pam's plan would be on the news by tomorrow morning. As I took my seat at the head of the table, I smiled. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Pam was leading Russell and Bart into the room. The others were following them. Each of them took a seat at the long mahogany table. Once my vampires and our guests are seated, I tell my fellow royal vampires how pleased I am that they have come.

"It's always nice to see you and as always, I'm pleased that you've decided to join us. I hope that your place of rest is up to your standards; only the best for you and yours."

Flamboyantly, Russell waved his arms through the air. "We've stayed at the Bloody Banshee before but the changes you've made are beyond fantastic. The royal suites are to die for." Looking at Bart, Russell said, "Don't you agree, darling?"

"Yes, my love."

Russell kissed Bart's cheek as he took in his surroundings. He looked at the impersonal surroundings and sneered at the stiff atmosphere. The pictured walls held few. In all actuality, they were practically bare. The lighting was dim and imperfect. The floors held the sound of an empty mausoleum when one walked across them. The cold marble topped table symbolized the feel of the room. It was the perfect setting to hold a vampire meeting. From the look on Russell's face, he didn't agree.

I knew what he was going to say before he said it. He wanted to know why we were in the meeting hall and not at the royal residence. So to save him the trouble, I voluntarily told him why we were here instead of my home.

"My apologies for asking you all to meet me here; I'm having work done at the main house and it is better that we hold the meeting here. It's much quieter here. The renovations that are being done are more than I expected them to be."

With his hands flying to his mouth, Russell commented on the idea of the house being renovated. "You should have told me about that, darling. I know the perfect decorator. He did an excellent job on Bart's old home." Then the expression on his face changed. Russell feigned concerned when insincerity was all I could sense. "Not unless there's something more going on. If you need it, you have our allegiance, Northman."

"No, dear friend; all is well. Nothing that you need to concern yourself with," I said. "So, if we could get this meeting started, we can finish up early and you gentlemen can go out and enjoy the many treats that New Orleans has to offer."

We were able to have our discussions without worry. There were bodyguards standing outside of the great oak doors. Vampires were silently patrolling the grounds. Weres were on patrol as well. We were safe. I checked the bond and Sookie was as peaceful as I'd ever known her to be. I could feel her life force humming along and I felt alive. I wanted to cut the meeting short so that I could go home to her but I had business that needed to be taken care of. I couldn't leave, not now. This meeting is important to us all and that includes Sookie.

For the next two hours, we discussed Russell's infallible plan. No one deviated from tonight's agenda. There was no socializing. There was no time for that. There would be time for that when we made the announcement of Bill's new position ad king of Oklahoma. Even if we wanted to talk about anything else, Russell wouldn't have allowed it. He loved the sound of his own voice and being the center of attention.

Anyway, the meeting went better than I could have hoped for. No matter what questions were thrown at him on the possible holes, Russell had all bases covered. The questions that Bill kept throwing at him didn't matter. Russell was just as full of himself as he's always been. Bill would ask Bart a question and Russell would answer it.

As Russell repeated the beginning, the middle, and the ending of his plan for the millionth time tonight, I did my best to stifle the sigh that was building within me. Anxiousness was getting the best of me. Two hours of listening to Russell and watching him feel pleasure from listening to his own voice, was more than I could stand.

Before I could end the meeting, Mustapha was standing at the opening of the great oak doors. All I could wonder was why he wasn't at home with Sookie. He was supposed to be guarding her and by the look in the Were's eyes, the reason for his visit was not good one.

"What is it, Mustapha?" I asked as I gladly interrupted Russell.

"Your majesty," he said as he bowed. "May I speak freely?"

"Yes you may." My face was as calm as ever but my insides were a jumbled and complete mess.

"We have a situation."

Each vampire in attendance stood up. I abruptly stood and told the others that the meeting was over but not before I thanked Bart and Russell for coming. "I do appreciate your time. Pam and Maxwell Lee will see you to your quarters but not before they take you around our fair city."

Bart spoke for the first time. "If you need our assistance, we will more than gladly help you. After all that you've done for us, we will more than willingly help you with anything that you need."

Bowing to Bart, I thanked him but declined. "You and your husband go and enjoy what remains of your night. My vampires will show you the town." Pam looked as if she didn't want to go but I wasn't going to give her a choice. "Pam knows all of the best places. Pam, I will expect you to be tonight's tour guide. My other vampires will keep you all safe." I then bowed to my guests once more; leaving with Mustapha trailing behind me.

When we were in the limo and driving away, we didn't speak. Mustapha didn't drive very far before he pulled over. Turning to face me, he told me what the situation was.

"I never left my post. I promise you, Eric. I don't know how I knew but I just knew. I'd checked on her every thirty minutes. I know I only needed to check every hour but something didn't feel quite right. I had ten minutes before I was to check on her again but I couldn't wait. When I opened the door, she was gone. Her gown was on the bed. The covers were thrown back and she was gone."

"Niall; did you sense Niall anywhere around? Did you smell the faery anywhere near her or in the bedroom?"

"No. The smell of the fae was nowhere in the room. The only thing I found was a note that was signed to you."

"Did you bring it?"

He reached into the pocket of his motorcycle jacket and handed me the folded note. "This is all that remained. I must tell you, Eric. There is no one with her. We have no idea of where to look. Heidi and Warren offered to go and look for her but I told them not to. I didn't feel that it was the right thing to do. It was not meant for us to go after her."

With my fangs drawn and my hands clawed, I looked at the Were with anger and bloodlust filling my eyes. "You mean she's alone?"

Mustapha's expression never changed. "As she should be," was all that he said.

"You felt qualified to make this decision without speaking to me first."

"Since you left her in my care, yes I do. I feel that I was qualified enough to make that decision. I am not sorry for what I've done and I know that it was the right thing. I don't know why but I wanted to go for her but I could not. It was as if something was holding me back. I could hear her telling me to go to you. She was in my head. I was going to go for her but for some reason I know that it wasn't meant for us to find her. You are to go to her and you are to figure out where she is."

I believed him.

Mustapha reiterated his earlier statements. "She's different, Eric. She's yours. She wanted you to come for her. It wasn't meant for the rest of us to look for her."

My logical mind was telling me that he was right.

I opened the folded letter and read my lover's note. I looked at Mustapha. "Go back to the compound. Keep an eye on everything and everyone. Tell Pam that I'm with Sookie. I expect you all back in Louisiana by tomorrow night."

"Will do," he said.

Within seconds, I was out of the car and had taken to the sky and I knew where I had to go. Not because I could feel her but because I knew where she'd be.

As I flew away, the words of her note resonated in my mind.

"I'm going home."

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><p><strong>AN: Hope that you liked it. Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think.**


	51. Chapter 51

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 51**

**I would like to thank those of you that wished me a happy and belated birthday; as always, I was blessed and grateful to have been given another year of life. I also want to thank you all for reading and reviewing. I didn't get to send everyone a PM this time but I still want you to know how appreciative I am.**

**This chapter will NOT be about Eric going to look for Sookie. This is going to be based on her 'memories' while she was healing. They are in no particular order. They are coming to her in flurry. They're the memories of her former life done differently.**

**I have to say it. I wonder what was in that juice that Ludwig gave her to that was from her dear great-grandfather. Was it just meant to make her more of a fae than she was before? Was it used to heal her? What was her dear great-grandfather up to?**

**I have to give a tremendous thank you to Nanou13. Thank you so much for your encouraging words and your astounding private messages.**

**Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>The Raid at Fangtasia<strong>

It was a Tuesday night and Sookie was coming home from the library. Two more weeks and she would be graduating from high school and she would be out on her own. She was so excited. Her gran and her grandpa were so proud of her. Even Jason was proud of her. Jason was going around town and bragging about his sister getting a full ride to LSU since the day the acception letter had arrived. He was going to the community college and at first he was jealous but his happiness for her overrode his jealousy. He couldn't help but be happy for her. They all were happy for her.

Obviously their excitement was contagious because Sookie had been walking around with a full smile every since. Sookie's family made her feel like the most important person in the entire world. Their love for her was overwhelming and more than she could have ever hoped for. She'd been riding cloud nine for the past few months. That particular night was no different; not even when she heard the voices.

As she drove through Baton Rouge, she heard their menacing voices. She could hear their plan to get _'him'_; whoever _'him'_ was. They were finally going to get him. They were going search his bar that very night and they were taking him down. They would have proof that he was not the vampire that he'd made himself out to be. Even if the proof was false proof, it was good enough for them. He'd gotten too big and he needed to be taken down a peg or two and tonight was just as a night as any. Their plan was flawless. Or so they thought.

They hadn't counted on Sookie Stackhouse being the snag in their flawless plan.

"Who are they going to take down?" she asked as she drove along. "And why would they want to take him down illegally? What did he do?"

Even though she could hear them, she couldn't see who they were and she didn't know who they were going to get. The images were blurs and the thoughts were broken words. What she could hear was good enough …for now. The best part is that she knew that they were going to raid a vampire bar. The name of the bar wasn't come through a clearly as she expected so she didn't know who to call. She had no choice but to wait to see where they were going. So she pulled over and she waited. Waiting had paid off.

She heard everything. The people that are going to set the vampire up are police officers. They thought that he was way too powerful. He needed to know his place and his place was not with the humans. The deaders needed to stay with the deaders. They didn't have any right being around the decent humans. They have been after him for quite some time but could find nothing on him. He may have been a vampire but he was a careful vampire. A lot more careful than the others had been. But tonight, he was going to fall. Since he was so cautious, they were going to have to make it happen. They were going to take him and Fangtasia down.

"Fangtasia?" she asked herself as she giggled. "Fangtasia …that name is so queer."

Sookie thought that with a name like Fangtasia, it couldn't be anything but a vampire bar. She'd never been to a vampire bar and she couldn't wait to go. Her grandfather would have a heart attack if she'd gone there. His precious Sookie was too good to hang around vampire bars and such. He would never allow that.

Though she wanted to go, she didn't want to disappoint her grandfather. She was going to be the good girl she's always been. She was going to make a phone call instead. It was no different than what she usually does. She always made a call. She shrugged her shoulders and continued on with her eavesdropping.

After a few more minutes, she closed her mind to them and did what she had to do. Sookie grabbed her cell from her purse. The first call that she made was to information. In her most polite and sweetest voice, she asked the operator for the phone number to Fangtasia.

"I think it's a vampire bar. It's in Shreveport."

The operator must have felt that it was her civic duty to save Sookie from the vampires because she took it upon herself to give the unknown caller advice. "Oh dear girl; you sound as if you were brought up right and to be respectful of yourself. Don't demean yourself or embarrass your family …"

Sookie showed the operator a different side to her. "I'm sorry but did you think that I wanted your opinion? I do apologize if you misunderstood me. What I asked you for was the phone number to Fangtasia. What I didn't ask for was for an old busy body like you to be all in my business. You don't know me or why I want the number. So …here's what you're going to do. You're going to do your fucking job and give me the fucking phone number."

The operator said nothing else. A recording played the Fangtasia phone number for Sookie and very graciously dialed the number for her.

"Awww; isn't that nice?" she said as the phone to the bar began to ring.

"Fangtasia, the bar with bite," the female voice said.

"Are you the owner? I need to speak to the owner." Sookie tried to stay as composed as possible but time was running out. The cops were on their way to set him up and she needed to get him out of there as soon as possible.

"Does the master know who you are?" the female voice asked.

Sookie ignored the girl's question. "I need to speak with the owner. This is important."

The girl sighed. "Well, if the master doesn't know who you are, I can't very well get him to the phone. Does he know who you are?"

Composure be damned.

"Look, you fucking grunt. I need to speak to Erin or Eric or whatever her or his name is! The cops are coming. He's being set up. Now, if you will be so kind, put him on the _fucking_ phone."

Within seconds a male voice was on the phone. "This is Eric."

"Nice to meet you, Eric; I'm your saving grace. Get out of your bar now. You have no more than five minutes and the cops are coming. They've placed a human in your bar and the human is letting a vampire feed on her in your bathroom. Have someone look in the third stall of the women's room. She's being fed on by some vampire named Lizbet. Because you are the owner of the bar, they're going to blame you. You are the one that's supposed to enforce the rules. They plan on shutting you and the bar down. So …"

The other end of the phone went silent for a few seconds. Sookie waited. She waited to see if he had believed her. Sookie listened for background noise. The noises were muffled; the music and the voices of the people in the bar. He had gone to the bathroom to check to see if she was telling the truth.

Eric had soon returned to the phone. "Who are you? How did you know what ...?"

"Since I'm your saving grave, that's none of your business, and you have three minutes. They're coming." She hung up the phone and sighed with relief.

She leaned her head back on the headrest and exhaled. When she was about to crank her car, she screamed. Her cell phone rang and '_We Will Rock You'_ was the ringback tone that was playing. She didn't think he'd call her back. What kind of a bar has caller ID anyway? She never should've let 411 dial the number for her. Right then, Sookie knew that she was going to once again have to get a new phone number.

"Fuck!" she yelled. She let it ring once more before she answered. Remaining calm, she said, "You got away?"

"Yes," he answered stiffly.

Sookie being Sookie didn't like the tone of his voice and she was sure as hell gonna let him know it. "What's your problem?"

"So, what? Do I owe you something now? I didn't ask for you to be my saving grace; as you so politely put it. I'm not going to pay you, if that's what you think. I'm definitely not going to bow down to you. You're probably a human that wants to be turned and you want me to be your maker. First off, let me say that's not going to happen. I'm not even sure if I'm going to thank you. You could've been in on the setup, And if you think that I'm going to be indebted to you, you are sorely mistaken, Grace."

She looked at the phone and cursed, "Asshole. I don't want to be turned. I'm happy being who I am. I don't expect you to bow down to me. What I expected was a thank you, you asshole! And if I was a part of it, why in the hell would I call and tell you anything, jerk? I could've sat back and watched them take you down. You really have some nerve. Fuck you, Erin!"

Sookie cranked her car and drove away. Her phone rang once more. She threw it out of the window and watched as it shattered into a million pieces. As she drove home, she realized that she was going to have to order another phone and her grandfather was going to be mad. It was the third phone she'd destroyed in two months.

Since it was late when she'd gotten home, she went straight to Jason's room and grabbed his phone from the side table. "I need your phone."

"Whatcha doin', Sook?" he asked. "You got your own phone."

"No, I don't. I have to order another phone and shut-up. I'll bring it back to you in a minute."

"You sure are a bitch when you study late. Put it back when you're done."

She slammed the door behind her as she went into her room to order her new phone.

"Hi; I need to order myself a new cell phone. I just threw mine out of the window. Oh, and I'll need a new phone number too. I'm getting harassing calls."

"Okay. I can do that for you. Your name?" the customer service rep asked.

"Saving Grace," she said.

"Excuse me," the operator said.

"Stackhouse; my name is Sookie Stackhouse."

The rep typed and then replied, "Good evening, Miss. Stackhouse. Since we've cancelled your insurance, you'll have to pay full price for you phone. It's the third one you've destroyed."

"I know," Sookie replied. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>The Confrontation with Miss. Fallon<strong>

Threaten her children with pain? Fill her children with fear? Not on her watch. No one was going to get away with that.

As Sookie sped to her destination, her only thoughts were of the fear that had paralyzed her children. The looks on their faces were the only images that she could see. They were the reason for her anger. They needed her protection. No one was going to get away with hurting them. She didn't care who it was. As long as she was able to, she was going to keep them happy and safe. Those children needed her almost as much as she needed them.

During the after school hours, Sookie read stories to the little children on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursdays and Fridays, they did arts and crafts. Since it was Thursday, it was arts and crafts day. Normally when her children came to the library for the after school program, they were as happy as can be. They joined in on the oohs and ahhs. They loved it when Sookie would use different voices for each character but not today.

Something was different with them today; especially Andrea Baker. She was sad. Andrea's never sad. She's always giggling and smiling. She's never known for Andrea to have a sad look on her face. Sookie tried to get her to tell her what was wrong but Andrea told her that she couldn't or she'd get into trouble. When she said that, Andrea looked at Norbert King through hooded eyes and shuddered. Norbert did the same thing.

That troubled Sookie more than anything. She was going to get it out of them the best way she knew how. After she'd mixed the glue and blown up the balloons for their papier-mâché projects and put the kids to work, Sookie listened in on Andrea's thoughts. Sookie didn't like what she'd heard or seen. She knew that three of the other children were in the same class as Andrea, including little Norbert and another child named Corey, and she listened in on them too. She couldn't believe what she'd heard or seen. The images of what they'd imagined the teacher would do to them filled their minds. As soon as the last child was gone for the day, Sookie made a trip to the Red Ditch Elementary School.

Sookie pulled up in front of the elementary school and prepared herself for her mission. She went inside and bypassed the office. There was no need in checking in. They couldn't fix the problem for her kids. They probably wouldn't have done anything about it anyway. All the teacher had to say was that she did no such thing and she was probably going to be believed. No, the school couldn't help them. She had to handle this on her own.

When she reached the classroom door, she saw the little red haired woman writing away at her desk. She looked like your everyday, run of the mill teacher. She looked meek and timid upon first sight. She was pretty in an unassuming sort of way. Her hair was pulled back in the tightest of buns and her sack dress hid what she had to offer her future husband; if she was to ever get one. And her glasses were sliding down to the tip of her nose. She was what you would expect a teacher to look like but there was more to her than meets the eye. Sookie knew what was bubbling underneath the surface. She knew what the real woman had in store for her students. Today, she was going to be stopped.

Sookie gently tapped on the door before she entered. "Hello," she said.

Miss. Fallon looked her up and down before telling her to come in. Pointing to a child's desk in front hers, she offered Sookie a seat. "Are you the mother of one of my children?" she asked.

Miss. Fallon was wondering which little bastard went home and told on her. She told them what would happen if they told and one of them had told. She was going to have to show them tomorrow exactly what she meant. She was going to show them what happens to tattletales.

She hated her job and she hated the children more. She'd get them. She'd get them all. There were images of the teacher hurting the kids playing over and over again in the meek and timid Miss. Fallon's mind. The entire time she was thinking those ugly thoughts, she was smiling. Sookie had to wipe that smile off of her face.

"Your plans of making those children pay for telling are never going to happen. If I was the mother of one the children, I'd have to kill you for the things that you think about doing to those children, wouldn't I? I know what you think of them; the little bastards … the children that you hate so much … the ones that you think that you're going to get tomorrow? How bad you want to hurt them …kill them even?"

Miss. Fallon's face was as white as a ghost. She began shaking her head from side to side. "How did you know what I was …? I've never thought such evil …"

"I understand that you're burned out and stressed. I understand that you've lost patience. That happens when you work with children. I work with children four days a week. The differences between you and I is that I love it and I love those children. What you need is a little help in learning to handle them. And I'm here to help you …to give you a chance at a better life; a _longer _life."

Sookie stood up and took her hair out of its normal ponytail. She wanted to make sure Miss. Fallon paid careful attention to what she was about to be told. She leaned over the desk and looked into Miss. Fallon's eyes. Sookie's eyes were no longer pale blue. They were so blue that they almost looked black …danger oozed from her. The smell of it saturated the room. Sookie wasn't going to use mind control because she wanted to make sure that Miss. Fallon never forgot today's lesson.

Miss. Fallon tried to look away but couldn't. She was in Sookie's grasps and there was no way she was going to let her go.

Sookie loved the look of fear on the woman's face. It was the same look that she'd bestowed upon the children for years. Now, it was her turn and Sookie took pleasure in it.

"I have something to show you, Miss. Fallon." Sookie reached across the desk and grabbed the meek and timid woman's arms. She gave Miss. Fallon a chance to see her fate if she ever threatened another child in that school or anywhere ever again.

Miss. Fallon saw a life of pain and misery. One worse than being a school teacher; what Miss. Fallon saw made her cry. A life of living the torture she wanted her children to feel was what was in store for her. A life of pain and fear that would never stop is what waited for her if she hurts those children.

"I'm sorry."

Sookie released the woman's arms and stood upright as to pull her hair back into the ponytail. Sookie looked at the terrified woman and smiled. "You will be even sorrier than you've ever been in your life if you ever mistreat another child in this school."

Miss. Fallon began to sob.

Sookie didn't care. She sat back down and continued educating Miss. Fallon. "What will happen is that after today, you're quitting. You're going to do something different because I'd hate to come back here, Miss Fallon."

Shaking her head, Sookie said, "And if I come back, I won't sit down and talk to you. I won't be as nice as I've been today. I won't speak one word. When you see me, you will know why I'm here. You will suffer the fate that awaits you. I promise you this, Miss. Fallon and I stand by my word."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Shaking her head, Sookie said, "I don't care how sorry you are. You have by the end of the day to tell them that you're quitting. There are no excuses for what you want to do these children …what you've said to them. The fear that they feel is something that a child should never have to know. If you're dreaming of hurting them and you tell them about it, you need to go." Sookie stood up and smoothed down the back of her dress. "Good day, Miss. Fallon."

When Sookie reached the door, the teacher said, "How did you know?"

Moving in a speed quicker than the teacher could see Sookie was standing in front of her once more. "You figure it out, Miss. Fallon."

When Miss Fallon looked into Sookie's eyes, she could see the promise in which they held. She'd decided to right then that she was leaving the little town of Red Ditch that night and she would never teach again.

* * *

><p><strong>Saving Cody Cleary<strong>

Sookie and Amelia were shopping one Friday afternoon when Sookie was suddenly bowled over with strong emotions and thoughts. Because so many voices came upon her so hurriedly, she lost her balance. She grabbed Amelia's arm for support.

Amelia was concerned. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Sookie shook her head no. "I need to get to my car."

As soon as Amelia had Sookie safely in the passenger's seat, she ran back into the store to get Sookie some water. When Amelia returned and Sookie drank some of the water, and she told Amelia what she'd heard. "There's a child that's missing. His name is Cody Cleary and he lives in a town called Bon Temps."

Amelia shrugged her shoulders and said, "Never heard of Bon Temps before. That's where Helena's having her little get-together. Have you ever been there?"

"No," she said.

Sookie had heard of Bon Temps before but she never wanted to go there. From what she'd learned about the town, the townspeople are not very tolerant of people that are special. She didn't feel that she would be welcomed there. Her differences aren't as evident as the vampires but she was different nonetheless. She knew that if they found out what she could do and since she looked and acted (almost) like the humans do, they'd really be pissed. When she'd returned to reality, Amelia was eyeballing her and hard.

"What?"

Amelia looked at Sookie expectantly and said, "Well, aren't you going to use your psychic abilities to find him?"

Sookie didn't bother to answer the question but she did respond to the description of her abilities. "I'm not psychic!"

She never understood why Amelia was hell bent on believing that she was psychic.

"Whatever it is that you do, you need to do it so that you can find that kid. You rescue them from bad teachers and from other bad people so you have to rescue him." Amelia did the Samantha onBewitched thing. She twitched her nose back and forth. Sookie hated it when Amelia did that.

"You're such a jerk, Amelia." Sookie then leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. "Don't speak at all. I need to concentrate."

Amelia nodded and didn't say another word. She watched Sookie with great respect and love. Her friend was as calm as usual. Sookie hadn't broken a sweat or even become hysterical. Her face was as relaxed as always. The only movement was the rapid movement of her eyes. Suddenly they stopped and Amelia waited. Sookie didn't open her eyes. She didn't say a word. Amelia put her hand up to Sookie's nose to check for breathing.

Nothing

Amelia was about to use her fingers to lift one of Sookie's eyelids when Sookie opened them. They both screamed.

"What are you doing, Amelia?"

Amelia's eyes were as big as plates. "I thought you'd died."

"I didn't die, you idiot. That happens sometimes when I …oh never mind." Sookie pushed Amelia away from her and reached into her dashboard to get her cell phone. She then handed it Amelia. "Tell them that you know where the boy is and who did it. Don't give them your name and don't worry about the phone number. They can't call us back. It's untraceable. Do you understand?"

Amelia nodded as if she was a bobble head.

"Now, tell them everything that I tell you; nothing more, nothing less."

Again, a rapid head nod. Amelia couldn't wait to do it.

Sookie told Amelia what she needed to say and how she needed to say it. After making sure that Amelia understood what had to be done, Sookie rattled off the phone number that Amelia needed to call.

"Kenya here," the woman said when she answered the unknown call.

"Question the lady named Madelyn Pepper. Cody was running down the hall and he slipped and fell. He hit his head pretty hard. She put him a large garbage bin to hide his body. She thought that he was dead. If you don't hurry up and talk to her, he will be. But you have to be gentle with her because of her mental problems. Just tell her that you already know …that you can see the guilt in her eyes. She'll tell you everything."

Not hiding the frown and wonder that was in her voice, Kenya asked, "Is this you? Are you the one that always helps us with these cases? Please, come in and talk to us."

"We don't have time to answer her questions. Tell her to hurry," Sookie ordered. "Time is running out. Cody has a head injury and he needs a doctor quickly."

Amelia did just that and hung up the phone.

"Thanks, Amelia," Sookie said as she put the phone back in the dashboard.

Amelia looked at Sookie for a quick second and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Sookie said.

"You've helped them before?"

"Yes, I have. There have been a few cases that I'd keep tabs on. When I was able to get a read on the person or persons that they were looking for, I'd call them or send them anonymous letters."

Amelia moved her hands in the 'hurry up and tell me' motion.

"Do you remember the case with that Rene Lenier? He was the one that was going around killing all of those girls that slept with or dated vampires?"

Amelia nodded her head rapidly. Brown hair was flying in every direction.

"Well," was all that Sookie said.

"You helped capture him? He killed at least ten girls before he was caught."

"He was about to kill ten but they caught him before he had a chance to kill anyone else. I made a couple of calls. I told the cops where his next victims lived and when he was going to show up. The girl that lived in the house was with her grandmother and they were out for the evening. I told them that he was going to kill them both if they didn't get to the farmhouse in time. He was going to kill the grandmother first because she was going to get home before her granddaughter. He assumed that because the granddaughter was friends with vampires she was sleeping with them. She wasn't. Anyway, it took a lot of persuading to get them to believe me.

"I had to do a lot of verifying of information that wasn't in the newspapers before they would take me seriously. After I told them that he'd raped each woman after he killed them, they believed me. They left that tidbit out of the papers. They had no choice but to believe me. They went to the farmhouse and waited for him and boom …they got him. He was there waiting for the girl and her grandmother with a hunter's knife just as I said he would be."

While Amelia watched her with total awe and envy, Sookie told her of the other cases she helped the police with.

"You're fucking awesome," Amelia said.

"Thank you very much," Sookie said. She never expected anyone; not even a witch, to be so accepting of her and it made her feel wonderful. "Thank you, Amelia."

Before she cranked the car, Amelia said, "You're my best friend in the world and you're my hero. I have to say that I've never been prouder of anyone before in my life." She kissed her best friend's cheek as they headed home.

Turning to face Sookie and smiling as broadly as possible, Amelia said it once more; "You're fucking awesome."

Sookie couldn't help but feel that she's never had that sort of admiration from another human; that wasn't a relative, before in her life and it was great.

* * *

><p><strong>The Thief of Fangtasia<strong>

Sookie woke up at exactly midnight and was in cold sweat. She needed to get to Fangtasia. A call wouldn't work this time and it wasn't going to be enough to save the woman. The woman was calling to her. Her fear was nothing Sookie had ever felt before. She had to get to her but first, she had to figure a way to get out of the house without her grandfather knowing that she was gone. She'd thought of popping herself to Fangtasia but thought better of it. Anyone could be watching.

She had to make sure that her grandpa was sleeping. He usually stayed up pretty late on Mondays. He loved watching Family Guyreruns. She tiptoed down the hall to the family room. When she noticed that the lights and the TV was off, she made a run for it.

Running downstairs and grabbing her keys and purse, Sookie drove to Fangtasia. Once she got there, she had to wait in line. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. A human that was pretending to be a vampire was sitting at the door carding the under aged visitors. Sookie knew that she could bypass her. After all, she was only a human trying to look like a vampire but instead of just walking in, she waited. When it was her turn, Sookie flashed her ID at the girl rather quickly and put it back into her purse.

Forgetting that she was wearing her favorite green and blue plaid pajamas, she walked into the club and looked around. She stood in the middle of the floor and closed her eyes. She'd found the woman that was calling out to her.

Her name was Ginger.

Sookie went to the bar to sit down and ordered a Sprite. She had decided that she'd wait for the patrons to leave before she would approach Ginger. While she waited, a big vampire was sitting in the shadows watching her. His eyes never left her face. Her eyes never left his. From what she could see, he looked like he might have been a little important and he was quite handsome; from the nose down anyway. He also looked like he might be one of those high-handed types. She began to wonder if he was the same asshole that she'd spoken to a couple of weeks back. He looked like he would have been that asshole that she talked to last week.

As she stared at him a little longer, she knew that he was the one. She felt a tickle in her brain and realized that he was trying to glamor her. She shook her head and took a sip of her soda. She thought that if she was a bitch, she would throw a ball of fire at him for being such a jerk. But instead she sipped at her soda. A few seconds later, she felt a finger poking at her shoulder.

"Do you not know the dress code here?"

"As a matter of fact, I don't. And …I'd appreciate it if you didn't poke me. If you want my attention you only need to ask my name."

She turned around to face the poker and she'd completely lost her train of thought. Her mouth had gone dry. He was HOT. He was taller than the tallest sycamore tree. He had more muscles than she'd ever seen on any man. He looked like a Viking. She had a mouthful that she wanted to say to him but there was no sound. She may have swallowed her tongue.

There was no smile on his face but there was one in his eyes. He knew what he'd done to her and he liked it. "May I join you?"

"Please," she said as she pointed to the seat next to hers.

When he was seated, she offered him her hand and the biggest smile her mouth had ever made. She was almost giddy when she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse." She had to put her free hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "You're a vampire!" She started kicking my legs back and forth underneath the bar. "Oh my God," she whispered. "You're a vampire."

She saw the corner of his mouth curl …just a little. "Yes I am and I'm Eric Northman."

She started to giggle. "Please forgive me. You're my first vampire and I've been waiting for the longest time to meet one. You're definitely not what I expected."

"Long Shadow, refill Miss. Stackhouse's drink." Resting his elbows on the bar, he looked at her and asked, "What did you expect, my dear Miss. Stackhouse?"

"30 Days of Night …Dracula …Van Helsing …I don't know," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. "You are just …I don't know ...more than I expected."

She couldn't seem to wipe the smile off of her face. Then he did something that she didn't expect. He roared with laughter. The ice was broken. They talked about nothing for the next two hours. Since he was her first vampire, she had a lot of questions she wanted to ask him about his people. There was so much that she wanted to know. Maybe they would have gotten around to it if the blond vampire lady hadn't needed him.

He stood and took Sookie's hand into his. Kissing the back of it with his cool lips, he said, "I hope to see you again, Miss. Stackhouse."

With that, he blurred away. She watched him fade into the shadows of the dark hallway. Sookie waited around for a few more minutes in the hopes that Eric would come back but he didn't. So she continued to wait for the bar to close.

As she waited, Sookie suddenly grabbed the sides of her head. The lady's fear was strong once again. She kept saying that the master and Pam found out about him stealing money. She said that she couldn't tell the master because he would kill her. The human's eyes kept falling upon the vampire that had served Sookie's drink; Long Shadow.

Long Shadow saw Sookie looking at him and he dropped fang. He was so not attractive and he was so not her type. When Sookie turned back around to look at Ginger, the poor girl was practically shaking and pissing herself. Ginger was terrified of Long Shadow and from the look in his eyes Sookie knew that he would kill Ginger just as soon as he had the chance. She couldn't let that happen. So she did what she had to do. Sookie walked quickly down the dark hallway that Eric had faded into.

When she reached the end of the hall, there were three closed doors. She had no idea of which door to choose so she chose the one that looked like it would be the door to his office; the one that was facing the bar.

Without knocking, Sookie burst into the room. "Eric," she said. She slammed the door behind her.

He and Pam, the vampire that Ginger said was going to help Eric kill the humans, were looking at a ledger and Sookie knew that it was the accounting book. They were discussing the missing money. They looked up at her and didn't say a word. They were sort of amused at the way she'd entered Eric's office without being invited.

"I know that just bursting in here was rude and I'm so sorry. But look, you need to know something. I'm the one that called you a few weeks ago and told you about the raid. Remember? I called you an asshole and hung up on you?"

Pam started to giggle.

"It was true so you have to believe what I'm about to say."

That's when both vampires moved from behind Eric's desk. They both stared at her; not speaking a word.

"It's not the humans. It's a vampire that's stealing from you. The human, Ginger, she knew but she was afraid to tell you because he was going to kill her. He's been stealing from you and Pam for months. He wants to open a bar of his own. From what I heard from her, he didn't think that you'd ever miss the money because you make so much. It's the vampire that works the bar, Long Shadow; he's your thief." She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. She'd done it. She'd saved the humans from certain death.

When Sookie's last sentence had left her mouth, the door to Eric's office flew open and Long Shadow was on her back. She was forced down onto the floor and she could feel his rancid breath on her neck. He was growling as he leaned back and his fangs sank into her neck. She had no one to save her. She couldn't call to her grandfather. He would be upset with her for being in a vampire bar. She couldn't call to Desmond. He was out of the country. There was no reason for Eric or Pam to save her. So what if she saved them from getting arrested the other night? They owed her nothing.

Sookie just knew that she was going to die in a vampire bar if she didn't stop it. All that she kept thinking was that she could poof right out of there and they would never have to see her again. She could leave and they would never find her. Her grandfather and Desmond would see to that. That was what she was going to have do. She could feel her body beginning to vibrate. The worst part is that she was about to leave and never, ever get to see Eric Northman again. That was going to be the worst part.

Suddenly, she felt warm goo covering her back completely. The back of her hair was matted to her head. Her favorite pajamas were ruined. The blood was slowly oozing down her forehead and over her face. She was afraid to turn over but she knew that she would have to sooner or later so slowly she began to turn over. When she was lying on her bloody back, Eric was standing over her with a stake in his hand and she could only assume that Long Shadow was the warm goo that was covering her backside.

"She's different," Pam said as her fangs slid slowly from her gums.

"Very …now Pam, go and make sure that everyone's gone," Eric ordered.

Pam looked at Sookie; her eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder. Her nostrils were flared when she walked away. Sookie could hear Pam's fangs going back into their hidey hole as the door closed behind her. Sookie knew what Pam smelled. It was her. Somehow the vampire blood made Sookie's true scent stronger. The human smell from earlier was gone. She watched Eric's face for any sign that he would attack but there was none. It was if he didn't notice it at all. For him to be a vampire, he was a perfect gentleman.

Eric helped her from the floor and only stared at her. Sookie could see that a million thoughts were going back and forth in his mind but she couldn't get a single thought out of him. No matter how she tried, she couldn't read him. No being's mind had ever been closed off to her.

She walked over to him and whispered, "I can't hear you."

With her hands on either side of his face, she rested my forehead against his and closed her eyes. She said nothing else. She basked in his silence and his strength. She felt as if she was home.

When she stepped into him to wrap her arms around his waist, Sookie realized what she was doing and so did he. The shocker was that he didn't push her away. He smiled at her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She stepped back as to give him his space once again. "That was presumptuous of me to touch you in such a way. I never should have invaded your space like that. Forgive me."

"You've caused me no harm," he said.

"I had no right to …uh …you know." She bashfully looked down at her favorite pajamas. "Bloody," was that she could think to say.

He went to his closet and retrieved a towel and a tee shirt. "There's a shower just around the corner there. You can go and clean yourself up. When you're done, Pam will take you home."

Sookie folded the towel over her hands and looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry for coming in here without knocking. You must know that I was raised with better manners than that. I just wanted to tell you what I'd heard."

He leaned his nice, firm bottom on his desk and crossed his arms over his massive chest. He said nothing. He only stared. Sookie couldn't help but stare back. He wasn't the least bit curious to know how she knew about the raid or how she'd heard about the thievery. If he was, he didn't say so. He didn't seem to care. That got a little chuckle out of her.

"Hmm," was all that she could think to say.

When Sookie turned to leave the room, she stopped with her hand on the door knob. Never turning to face him, she said, "Thanks for saving me tonight."

"Think nothing of it. Thank you for saving us, Miss. Stackhouse. Or should I call you Grace?"

She smiled at the door and said, "Think nothing of it and you can call me Sookie." She then left to take her first shower in a vampire bar. And to no surprise, she'd been going to Fangtasia every since.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all enjoy and understand where I'm going with this. If you like it please drop me a review. It will be highly appreciated. I will also try to have the next chapter up. We still have a ways to go. Enjoy.**


	52. Chapter 52

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 52**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. This chapter will be from Sookie's PoV. She has finally made it home and she's trying to get an understanding of her surroundings. I hope that you all enjoy.**

**What did you all think of True Blood Sunday? I was impressed! My favorite part was when Jason rescinded Steve Newlin's invitation and what he said as he was gliding out the door. I laughed for about twenty minutes.**

* * *

><p>The voice whispered, "Wake up child. It's time for you to wake up."<p>

Sookie opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed that was not her own. Though the room was dark and she didn't know where she was, she knew that she was safe. Eric had seen to that. She knew that Eric would always put her safety first. He would always put her first. He _has_ always put her first. There were guards patrolling the house. Cameras were everywhere. And Mustapha was standing outside of her door. She felt extremely safe …and empty.

She reached within herself but she couldn't find him. She couldn't feel him. For the first time since meeting him, she couldn't feel Eric. He was gone. No matter how she tried, she couldn't feel him. She wanted to go to him but she knew that the only way to get to Eric was to go home. She wanted to go home.

Just as her feet hit the floor, Mustapha was filled with uneasiness. Something was going on in that room. For some reason, he knew that Sookie was not the same as before. Something was different about her; he could smell it. He _knew_ that something was going on in the room; just not what.

When he heard the strange voice telling her to wake, he tried going to her. He wanted to go to her but he couldn't move. What if they take her again? He knew that if anything happened to her, Eric would not survive. He wasn't sure if any of the vampires would survive if she left again. As a matter of fact, he wasn't too sure about himself.

Eric had ordered him to protect her at all costs. That was not a problem for him; he had agreed to it. He vowed that he would give his life for hers and he was ready to do just that but there was a problem. He couldn't move. No matter how he tried, he couldn't move. He tried shifting but found that he couldn't. He'd never had that problem before. He has always been able to …. She had taken over his mind. She was controlling him.

"I have to go," she said to him.

When he heard her voice inside of his head, his eyes widened. "How are you doing this, Sookie? What's going on? Why can't I move?"

She ignored him and his questions. She didn't want to but there was something that she needed to do and she needed to do it now. "Mustapha, I need to go home. There are some things that I have to take care of. When I'm gone, take Eric the note that I'm leaving for him on my pillow."

"You can't leave. You're not well."

Again, she ignored him. "You know that I'm well. You can sense it. I will leave and you will not come after me. You will send no one for me. No one but Eric can come for me. Do you understand that? You have to do as I ask."

"Anything for you," Mustapha said.

"Mustapha?" she whispered.

"Yes, my queen."

"You must go to him as soon as I leave."

"Anything for you," he repeated once more.

She smiled. He was the best bodyguard she'd ever had. Well, he was the only bodyguard she'd ever had …as far as she can remember. And she was starting to remember. The memories that she was having, were the most painful memories she's ever known.

As she got out of bed, she heard Eric's voice. _"How can you be so cruel?"_

Sookie knew that he was speaking to her. What did she do to him that was so cruel? Had she hurt him? Her only thoughts were of her leaving him alone. She is the one that he has been waiting on. How could she have left him as she did? What happened to make her leave?

She didn't have an answer for any of her questions. Her stomach was completely twisted in knots. She grabbed at her chest just as heartbreak took hold of her. She didn't bother to change her clothes. She took off her pajamas and put on one of Eric's Fangtasia t-shirts. She needed to feel close to him. She needed to smell him on her. More than anything, she needed to feel him.

Within seconds, Sookie had poofed herself home. Soon, she was standing in the driveway. The cobblestoned driveway led to a two car garage. Azalea bushes lined the driveway. A small, blue modest Toyota was parked alongside Eric's over the top, red corvette. Sookie turned to look behind her to see an old lady standing at the end of that driveway watching her; mouth agape. The dog that she was walking was wagging his tail happily as he looked at Sookie. Sookie looked at the little old lady and smiled; placing her finger to her mouth in the shushing motion.

"You never saw me."

The little old walked on and never looked in the direction of the house. The dog watched Sookie until they were no longer in sight.

When Sookie was in the front yard of the unfamiliar house, she knew that she was home. The yard, the trees, even the skies that blanketed the house was home to her. The yard was perfectly manicured and the flowers were lined perfectly around the front porch. As she looked at the colorful plants, she wondered if she planted those. The furnishings that decorated the porch had to have been her idea. It had a woman's touch to it. The new porch swing and the rocking chairs added a touch of old southern charm. They reminded her of her Gran. The hanging plants were of varying colors.

The house had the homiest feel to it. It felt as if a family lived there. She thought that if she looked through the window, she might've seen a mother and father sitting on the couch watching TV. The children would be lying on the floor eating popcorn. One would never guess that a vampire lived there. The house held love, peace, and happiness. It looked inviting. It looked like a home.

Sookie began to walk up the stairs that led to the front door of their home and she let her hands stroke the familiar wooden door as her fingers grazed the knob. She was ready to go inside. After closing her eyes to check her surroundings, Sookie popped herself inside.

When she entered the house, she looked studied her surroundings. She didn't recognize the kitchen. The appliances were new; stainless steel as far as the eye could see. The furnishings didn't exactly blend with the state of the art appliances. They were old and worn. They looked as if they'd seen many Sunday dinners and quite a few holidays.

Sookie ran her hand over the kitchen table and a flash of her and Jason ran through her mind. Other memories soon came to her; her grandma and her grandpa eating lunch with them or grandpa carving the turkey. She could see them sitting around the table eating breakfast before school or sitting there are school eating afterschool snacks.

She could see Gran sitting on her familiar bar stool and talking on the phone; gossiping with the ladies of Baton Rouge. They never really gossiped. They caught up on what was happening in town. Gran used to always say that real southern women don't gossip. It's unbecoming of a lady. Sookie giggled as she continued to run her fingers over the table.

In her next memory, she could see her gran and her elderly lady friends sitting around the table discussing the upcoming trip to Civil War sites. Her grandpa was running from the kitchen after snatching a chicken salad sandwich from the platter after Gran had swatted his behind. She then frowned. Her grandpa didn't look like her grandpa. He was different. It was if he wasn't the same man she's always known. What if …?

"It's nothing," she said as she walked to the living room.

She slowly walked into the living room. Just as she did in the kitchen, she touched each piece of furniture that she encountered. Unlike the kitchen table, these furnishings didn't invoke any emotion. She could only use her imagination.

As she sat down on the couch, Sookie imagined the nights that she and Eric would sit there together and share. She imagined that he would have held her in his arms and after a long day at work, she would rest her head on his shoulder and tell him about her day. She would in turn stroke his hair as he would tell her about the vampires and what they expected of him and from him. He would then move on to the topic of the fangbangers that would have come into his club to meet and have sex with strange vampires. Sookie began to imagine that a night of sharing with Eric would have been a great night. Sookie then took notice of the pictures that decorated the cocktail table.

There were pictures of her, Gran and Jason. There were pictures of her dad holding Sookie on his shoulders while she picked apples from the big old tree that stood out back of their old home. There were pictures her, Jason, and her parents. They were sitting around a pond and enjoying a family picnic. She and Jason were laughing and eating strawberries. Their lips and fingers were stained red from the fresh fruit.

The next picture was of their mom and dad. They were staring into each other eyes; lovingly studying each other's faces. Sookie picked up the picture and instantly she remembered that day. It was the first day of summer and it was the last summer she and Jason spent with their parents. They were killed two months later in a car accident. Sookie gently placed the picture back on the table and looked towards the fireplace; more pictures.

Sookie walked to the fireplace and looked at the pictures sat on the mantle. This time, there were pictures of her and Eric. She and Eric were holding hands in one picture. In the other, she was wearing at-shirt that read Home Sweet Home and Eric was wearing a goofy look on his face. Their cheeks were pressed together when the picture was taken and they had smiles on their faces that matched those of maniacs and people in love.

In the next picture, Eric was nuzzling Sookie's face and her eyes were closed. Anyone could clearly see that they were truly in love. She touched the frame but couldn't remember when or where that picture was taken. She continued to touch the picture frame but nothing came to memory. She didn't remember posing for any of those pictures. Maybe she would remember the others.

The next picture was of Sookie with her head resting on his lap. Eric was stroking her hair as he talked on his cell phone. He was looking at the camera and didn't look happy to have his picture taken in such a vulnerable position. Sookie could only assume that Pam had taken the picture. He wouldn't have allowed anyone else to take it. His face held a scowl but his eyes were happy.

With each picture, Sookie could see that they were in deeply in love. She wanted desperately to remember those times that had been captured in those pictures but she couldn't. She decided to continue her tour to see if anything else in their home would jog her memory.

Sookie walked down the hall and looked into an abandoned room. There was only a bed in there but there was nothing that she could remember. Nothing in the room jogged her memory.

She wanted to go upstairs but she was being led to another room. She walked through a hidden door and she almost fell to her knees. She hadn't even entered the room yet but the pain saturated the space. The room was calling her name and it was vibrating with pain and sorrow. She didn't want to go in there but she had no choice. She had to go in there to see what happened in that room.

When she opened the door and went inside, she did fall to her knees. She couldn't believe what was before her. Images of his pain began to flood her mind. The images of Eric suffering was so much more than she could bear. His pain was all that Sookie could feel. She realized what he meant when it asked how she could have been so cruel. The pain and suffering that Eric had gone through was her doing. She screamed out in agony.

"I'm so sorry, Eric," she cried.

Sookie had soon folded herself into a ball. She let the misery that she was feeling take hold. That was why she needed to go into that room. She deserved it for what she'd done to him. It was her pain to bear and she would bear it willingly. Sookie had never been so unhappy in her life. Being alone in that room night after night after night; it had to have been pure hell for Eric.

How could he have survived such pain? How could he go on night after night and suffer so? Sookie cried even harder when she thought that she didn't deserve his love. She didn't deserve him. How could he possibly love the one that has caused him such pain for five years? Why did she do this to him? How could she do this to him?

"Why can't I remember?"

Sookie finally picked herself up from the floor. She left the room and went to the kitchen to brew a cup of tea. Once it was done, she went into the living room and looked around. Her eyes drifted back to the couch.

She could see their happiness. A life of pure happiness is what they had. They had their problems but they were happy. Their problems didn't stop them from loving each other. They didn't stop them from wanting to be together because they knew that as long as they were together, they were going to be alright. Everything was going to be alright. A small smile appeared on her face. That's when she saw it.

She saw a something white hiding underneath a pillow. Placing her tea on the table, she went over to see what it was. It was a gown and it had belonged to her. She could smell a very faint scent of her former self on the gown but the scent of Eric was extremely strong. It was covered in his bloody tears. She held the gown to her face and closed her eyes. She could see the many nights that he held the gown in his arms as he slept. He would hold it to his face when he'd awaken. She could see him holding onto her pictures; tracing them with his finger. She could see him listening to the voicemail on her cell phone over and over again until the sun took him under.

Sookie cried as she held his painful memories in her hands. "My dearest Eric," she whimpered.

For the first time since she'd been there, Sookie realize how empty she felt inside. She couldn't feel him; not like she did before. She was feeling what he felt when she was gone. She couldn't feel his love for her just as he couldn't feel hers. She couldn't feel the happiness he felt when he saw her at the Sit and Spin or how he felt as he held her in bed their first night in New Orleans.

She could only feel his pain. What she felt at that precise second, was pure hell. Emptiness was by no means the sensation that Sookie wanted to experience. But she knew that she had to suffer the same fate as Eric. She had to feel what he felt. Over and over again, she wondered why she left him.

Eric loves her passionately; even after all she's done. She's always been the one for him. Even though she had no idea why, she knew that she was the one that filled the lonely place inside of Eric's soul. She knew that Eric would cherish her until the day that she died and she left him. She left all alone.

As she cried, images of Eric smiling at her were all that she could see. Though he sounded far away, the sound of his voice was all that she could hear. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to take her to him.

"Turn around, lover," he said.

When she turned to face him, he leaned down and passionately kissed her. It was their first kiss and he sent goose bumps throughout her body. "Are you frightened of me? Is it because of what I am?"

"No," she said into his mouth.

"My lover," he said hoarsely.

She opened her eyes and looked around the room. Sookie could have sworn that Eric was right there with her.

"Eric?"

There was no answer.

It was only her imagination.

"Lover," the voice called out to her.

In order to go to him, she closed her eyes once more. They were lying in bed and holding each other. Sookie said something funny that made Eric's eyes widen with surprise and caused him to fill their bedroom with laughter. As they talked and shared the events of her day, she was at peace. Her day hadn't been the best day. Sookie had brought home some issues from her job and some problems with Jason but being with Eric made her forget about her worries. Nothing else mattered. He made everything okay.

Her next image was of him defending her honor. She and Eric had gone to a bar. They noticed that the other patrons were watching them but they didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that they were together. As they left the restaurant hand in hand, there were whispers and comments being made. Eric was becoming angry.

Because of his vampire hearing, he could hear the whispers. She was used to whispers and the ugly thoughts. He could hear the derogatory comments being made about his lover. He was hearing what she has always been used to. Over time, she'd learned not to care. She was happy. She didn't want anything or anyone to destroy their time. It was good. It was good night.

Sookie gripped Eric's hand and said, "We're the only ones that matter, baby."

"They are insulting you," Eric said.

Sookie only smiled. "I'm used to it."

Sadness filled his eyes. "You shouldn't be."

She sighed and shook my head. "It's okay. They don't matter. It's just you and me. Everyone else in the world is gone."

Just as they were leaving, Sookie caught the mind of Were that was sitting by the door. She couldn't read the lady's thoughts but she knew that the color red wasn't the color of well wishes. She knew that the were-bitch hated her.

"Fucking vamp humper," the woman said.

Before Sookie could approach the woman herself, Eric had leapt into the air and had the woman sprawled out on her back. "You will respect her," Eric said. Sookie could hear the danger dripping from Eric's voice and she loved it. "Apologize to her or I'll rip your fucking throat out."

Sookie stood by Eric; smiling. She looked down at the whimpering Were and smiled. "Apologize as he said." Sookie then added, "Or I'll watch him rip your fucking throat out."

The Were snarled at the two lovers before she apologized. Eric slowly stood over the wounded Were and glared down at her. It was easy to see that he still wanted to kill her for insulting his lover. Instead, he stood by Sookie's side and held her hand in his.

After the Were had apologized, Sookie offered the Were her hand in order to help her up from the floor. "I have no beef with you," Sookie said. "I only wanted to have a night out with my boyfriend without any persecution and we're not going to let you ruin that. There are no hard feelings. We just want to be left alone. Now, please, take my hand."

The Were looked from Sookie to Eric and couldn't decide on what she was going to do. She looked to her table of friends and they looked away from her. She knew that she was wrong, so the embarrassed Were took Sookie's hand.

As Sookie helped her up from the floor, the Were looked at the lovers and apologized once more; sincerely this time. "No hard feelings," she repeated to Sookie.

Sookie and Eric proceeded to leave the bar once again; hand in hand.

As Sookie thought of those moments, she laughed. She went into the kitchen to make herself another cup of tea and it hit her like a ton of bricks. She remembered something on her own. She dropped her teacup in surprise.

"He said that I was beautiful. After kissing me goodnight, he told me how beautiful I was. He said that to me that very night. We were standing in the living room. He told me that I was smart and brave and beautiful."

No one had ever told her that she was beautiful before. She went out on dates and the guys told her that she was pretty and that she had a banging body but not one man had ever looked into her eyes and told her that she was beautiful; no one but Eric.

As she smiled, she remembered other things that he'd said to her that night. "He told me that I was smart and loyal. He even told me that I had a sense of fun and adventure. Eric really loves me. He told me that I had a beautiful body." She began to giggle. "He told me that I had a beautiful body after he'd given me the other compliments. So he wasn't after my body. He really liked me."

Sookie went to the broom closet and grabbed the dust pan and the broom to clean up her mess. After she emptied the debris into the trash bin, she said, "He loves me. He's always loved me."

She then thought of what happened that night when they'd gone to bed as he held her in his arms. "Thank you," she said to Eric.

"No lover, thank you. When you stood with me tonight, I knew that you would be willing to fight for me. I know that you will love me for as long as you live. I can't believe my luck. What have I done in all of my existence to deserve a woman such as you?"

As he spoke, Sookie looked up at Eric and that was the night that she fell in love with him. "I love you," she said for the first time.

"I love you, lover. You will always stand by my side as my friend, my wife, and my lover. You will stand with me as my equal. Everything that I have, I will share with you. Every vampire that owes me fealty will honor and respect you. You are mine in every sense of the word."

As she stood in the kitchen, she said aloud, "You have made me very happy."

"That's all I've ever wanted to do," Eric said from behind her.

Sookie dropped the broom and the dustpan onto the floor and turned to face Eric. She ran to him and jumped into his arms; wrapping my legs around his waist.

"You knew where I was," she cried into his shoulder. After a moment, she leaned back and looked at him. "You knew to come to Shreveport. Oh, baby, I love you. I love you so very much and I'm so sorry."

She released herself from him and took a step back from him. Sookie's heart began to hammer away in her chest and she then drew her breath in sharply. There stood the man that she was meant to love for the rest of her life. He had the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. His smile melted her heart. She loved the way his blond hair fell over his shoulders. She loved the way he laughed at her jokes; even the ones that weren't funny. She loved that he looked in her eyes when he spoke to her. She loved him.

As her eyes took in every inch of the man that stood before her, he smiled. She walked to him and said, "Tonight our new lives begin. You are mine."

**A/N: Did you like it? Are you ready for the next chapter? Let me know.**


	53. Chapter 53

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 53**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. This chapter will be told in Eric's PoV. We're going to get a bird's eye view of what our favorite Viking will be feeling. I hope that you enjoy and that it invokes the feelings that I'm searching for.**

**I also wanted to state that only the idea belongs to me. I don't own any of the characters. This disclaimer goes for all past, present, and future chapters. The song that sings to Eric as he thinks of his love for Sookie belongs to Chuck Prophet. It is one of my absolute favorites. Its simplicity is beyond great.**

**I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Oh and by the by, the story is in no way over.**

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><p>When I landed in the front yard of our Shreveport home, I knew instantly that Sookie was there. This was home. She said that this was her home because it was my home. To know that she came here has given me hope for our future. With that one gesture on her part, I'm able to see that we are going to make it. We are going to be even stronger than we were before.<p>

When I entered the house, I saw her standing in the kitchen and smiling. She then said, to no one in particular, "You have made me very happy."

She said that to me the night that I attacked that red haired Were, Amanda, in Merlotte's for insulting her. We were meeting with my vampires and the Weres of Shreveport to discuss the witch problem and my memory loss. Sookie wasn't too pleased with how I handled the fact that someone had insulted her in front of me. She told me that she was used to being mistreated. She was used to being insulted and put down by the people of Bon Temps; the ones that had known her all of her life and complete strangers. She never should have been used to being insulted and that night I vowed that I would forever stand up for her and protect her. My goal for the rest of her life is to protect her and to love only her.

"That's all I've ever wanted to do," I said from behind her.

I startled her so that she dropped the broom and dust pan. The glass that she was sweeping up was soon scattered all over the floor once more. She slowly turned around to face me.

After realizing that I was really in the kitchen with her, she jumped into my arms and told me that she knew that I'd come for her. She said that she knows that I've always loved her and she knows that I always will. My greatest love knew that I'd know where to find her. She then stood back and stared at me for a long moment.

I watched her as she looked at me. Every emotion that she was feeling was running across her face. I remembered that she had that exact same look on her face the night that she died. Even bruised and battered she was beautiful but tonight nothing compared to how beautiful she really is. Her heart and soul are the most beautiful parts of her. I couldn't help but think that I'd never love another for as long as I walk this world.

When she walked to me and took my hand, she said, "Tonight our new lives begin. You are mine." She pulled me behind her and led me into the bathroom. "Tonight I'm going to take care of you."

I watched as she piddled about; moving as swiftly and as graceful as a swan. I watched her every move as if it was going to be the last time I'd ever see her. She ran a hot tub of water with bubble bath and sweet smelling oils. I have to admit it; I was going to enjoy this. She'd only bathed me once before and that was when I'd been bewitched. The memory was a memory that I would forever cherish but it could never compare to what was about to happen. I wouldn't have to wait months for the memory to come to me. I would forever have it in the now.

After the tub was filled, Sookie undressed me and helped me to settle in. She kneeled by the tub and used the sea sponge that she'd given to me when she'd first moved in. The water that had soaked into sponge was now flowing over my shoulders and down my back. I watched her intently and with unadulterated love in my heart.

"Would you like to join me?" I asked.

"No," she said. "This is for you."

She then leaned over me to grab the body-wash from the shower caddy (again, Sookie's idea). I watched her as she lathered the sea sponge; smiles and love in her eyes and on her face.

"Let me pamper you. Let me treat you like the king that you are; not in the vampire world but in my world. My king," she said as she kissed my neck. "Now ...tell me about your night. It had to have been a busy one. You have dried blood in your fingernails." She began to scrub my fingers as I slid down into the hot water and let my wife take care of me.

"You should have seen it, Sookie. Pam was magnificent. Thalia was as brilliant as always."

Sookie absorbed every detail of my night and not once did she complain because I didn't tell her about it beforehand; not that I could have. Once she was done with my fingernails, she worked from my back to shoulders and to my chest. When she moved to my stomach, I had to catch my breath.

"I would have loved to have seen them in action." She continued to bathe me.

The more I talked, the more relaxed I became. Before long, she was getting closer to her second favorite part of my body. I gulped as her thumb brushed the shaft of my hardness. She had a sly smile on her face.

"I'll bet that Maxwell Lee and Indira were just as amazing."

"They were," I said in a soft voice.

Still kneeled down on the floor, Sookie sat back on the heels of her feet, placed the wet sponge on her lap and looked up at me. She then ordered me to stand. When I did, she was able to see what she'd done to me. The sly smile was even slier than before. My hardness was standing at attention.

"Open your legs for me." Her expression never changed.

I did as she ordered.

She started working the sponge from the inside of my thighs to my ankles.

"Raise your foot for me" she said.

One at a time, she began washing my feet. She treated me wonderfully. She lathered and bathed me better than I've ever bathed myself. I stood there with my eyes closed as my lover took care of me. I was so deep in thought and enjoying my pampering that I didn't realize that she was no longer bathing me. I opened my eyes to an amazing sight. She was naked and standing beautifully before me. The sea sponge was soon floating to the other end of the tub. This time, she decided to use her hands to clean me. It was hard to tell if she was supposed to be bathing me or pleasuring me. I could hear her breath hitch in her throat as she stroked my hardness over and over again with her soapy hand. Her breathing was almost as loud as my own.

"I have to make sure that you're clean," she said as she bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, you do."

"Turn around, baby."

Still only using the soap and her hands, she began to wash my back once more. Slowly, she moved down to my bottom. Her hands trailed smoothly over my bottom as she bathed me.

When she was done, she kissed my wet back and said, "Sit down and let me rinse you off."

"Okay, my lover," I whimpered.

She was still standing when I sat down. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I wanted her to give herself to me. I needed her. But instead, she got out of the tub and kneeled back onto the floor and continued with her earlier task.

"You haven't finished telling me about your night. Go on," she urged.

I'd completely forgotten about my night. As far as I was concerned my night had only just begun but alas; I did as she ordered of me. While she rinsed my body, I told her why we did what we'd done. I know that she's different now but I feel that I have to defend my actions.

"I had to do it. They planned on ending my existence. They'd planned on killing my vampires. We had to defend ourselves against our enemy. If they would only listen to reason, I would not have such a route. I had no other choice."

"Of course you had no other choice," she said. "You have every right to defend yourself. Never apologize for having to take matters into your own hands. There are times when you have to in order to survive. We can't just lie down to our enemies. That is not what we do. We're not weak and we're not going to pretend to be. Now, go on and tell me the rest."

With those sage words, I relaxed even more. I continued to tell her everything. While I talked, she shampooed my hair. It felt so good. To be able to share my night with her without feeling as if she would be disappointed in me; that was better than the bath …almost. After she was done washing my hair, she used the shower head to rinse it. Pretty soon, the joy of being bathed by Sookie was over.

"I'll be right back," she said.

I stood in the tub and waited for her to return. She'd gone to the linen closet to grab a couple of towels; one for my body and one for my head. She dried me off from head to toe. Soon after, she sat me down at the vanity and blow dried my hair. She even braided it. When she was done, she leaned down and kissed my neck.

"Your night is not over. There's so much more to come. Come with me."

I followed my wife to the living room. While we were standing in the doorway, Sookie turned the living room into a romantic atmosphere. With a wave of her hand, the fireplace was ablaze and music began to play. A plush blanket was spread out in front of the fireplace and that's where she led me. We stood together in front of the fireplace and it was if time had stopped.

"Everyone else in the world is gone. There's only you and me."

My dead heart filled with life once more. I smiled. My eyes were ablaze with love and happiness.

"I've never seen in anyone else's eyes what I see in yours," she said.

The porch in Bon Temps; she said that to me five years ago on the porch in Bon Temps.

While I stood before her, she began to massage the sweetest, most masculine scent I'd ever smelled onto my body. It was completely intoxicating and relaxing. When she was done, she gently griped my neck and pulled me closer to her. She began to gently kiss me; pushing her tongue ever so slightly into my mouth. She soon had me lying on my back in front of the fireplace. She was on top of me; kissing me deeply and lovingly.

She brushed a wisp of my hair from my face and kissed the tip of my nose. "You have the most beautiful heart of anyone I've ever known." She leaned down once more and kissed me just as she had before. Her breasts were warm against the coolness of my chest. Soon we were tangled in the blanket and kissing each other passionately.

As we kissed and loved each other, the sweetest song began to play. The words of the song were as simple and beautiful as I've ever heard. They caused me to melt into her kiss, her touch. I'd even melted into her mind. The song described my emotions perfectly. She is everything to me. I'm nothing without Sookie. And she belongs to me ...no one else but me. Her strength, her loyalty, her love ...everyone is going to see that she belongs to me. They will see that she is the sole reason for my happiness. They will see that she's the reason I am.

As we tasted each other, I could feel my body go weak. I was flying high and I never wanted to land.

No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<br>No other love,  
>Mama, I'm flying<p>

I was lost in her eyes and I swear I'd never seen a more beautiful woman. I kissed her neck and her mouth. She made the same familiar moans from five years before. I soon had my wife lying on her back and I loved her with my kisses. My hand was soon in between in her legs; knowing her warmth all over again. Her legs were soon clamped around my hand as her hands were wrapped about my gracious plenty.

"My lover," I said as I nuzzled her breasts. I kissed and licked each nipple. The sounds of her gasps were more than I could handle. I wanted more of her. "My lover," I said once more.

Those two words caused my wife to groan into my mouth. Her hand began to move rhythmically over my hardness. Sookie then sat up a little and bit my bottom lip.

Not realizing it, my breathing was getting faster and now I was lying underneath her. She eased down between my legs; her eyes never leaving mine. With that one look, I could see that she finally loved me unconditionally. I could see that she thinks that I'm the most wonderful man she's ever known. I could see in those eyes that I'm the most beautiful man she's ever seen …and I don't mean physically.

My friend knew that Niall was wrong.

My lover knows that I have a soul.

My wife sees the good in me and with her, I can do anything.

I can go  
>I can go anywhere<br>No other love can take me  
>there …ooh<p>

Again my breath drew in sharply when her hands began roaming over my body. Standing over me but still on her knees, Sookie cupped her breasts as her fingers tweaked at her hard, pink nipples. Her hand trailed over her stomach and rested on the visible part of her sex. Her eyes took in the sight of my hardness. She licked her full, pink lips.

"I want you," I whispered.

I unconsciously continued with my deep breathing. She watched me intently. The love and lust never left her eyes. She then used the palm her hand to rub over the tip of my hardness. She gently took it and began to stroke it. It felt so good to feel her touching me. My eyes were closed and a small growl escaped my throat with each stroke of her small, warm hand.

"Look me," she said.

"Yes," I whimpered.

I watched the hunger in Sookie's eyes as she caressed the length of my hardness. She made a very human chill flow throughout my body. She leaned forward and blew it; gently kissing the tip. She then took me fully into her mouth. My head went back and my eyes disappeared into the back of my head. My mouth was opened wide with pleasure. My hips instinctively pushed forward and my hands went to her head.

When I was able to compose myself, I eagerly watched her as she took me into her mouth over and over again. She remembered that I liked to see her eyes and her eyes never left mine. She watched me as I responded to the love that was giving to me with her mouth. My hands were buried in her hair. She then slowly moved her mouth up the shaft of my hardness. She quickly moved down the shaft; causing me to tense. She repeated this several times. It was a feeling that I'd never felt. When she'd released me from her mouth, she licked the tip and then licked her lips. They were red and swollen. They looked as if she'd just eaten the sweetest and reddest of strawberries.

It amazed me that with the slightest touch of her hand or the smallest smile from her that she had changed me. I was no longer the murderous monster from only hours ago. I was a man. I was man being loved by a woman. I was a man with a soul and I was being loved by the most amazing woman I'd ever encountered. I was with the love of my un-dead life. I was a vampire and a man in love.

No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<br>No other love,  
>Mama, I'm flying<p>

Sookie began easing her way up my body; straddling me. My hardness was pulsating against her body. I cupped her breasts and began thumbing her nipples. The sensations caused her to rock gently against me; moaning ever so softly.

"My sweet, sweet Eric," she moaned. She reached in between us to take me in her hand. She began rubbing my hardness through her wetness. "Do you want me?"

I gripped her hips for stability. I'd never felt anything so wonderful.

"Do you want me?" she asked again.

Looking into her eyes, I said, "I do. I've only wanted ever you."

She sighed and smiled as she closed her eyes; still using the head of my hardness to dance over her nub. Allowing her to continue, I shifted my weight and repositioned myself behind her. Sookie remained upright and on her knees with one arm pulling my head down to kiss her neck; the other still working my hardness through her wetness. I pressed myself against her from behind and I let my hands explore her body just as I'd done many years ago. I gently caressed her breasts as I moved my hands to the wetness that was awaiting me. I never stopped focusing on one thing. She had my full attention. I wanted to know every inch her all over again.

I gently coaxed her forward on her hands. She looked at me over her shoulder; biting her lower lip. While she was on her knees, I kissed my way down her back. I kissed her round bottom. I used my fingers to explore her wetness from behind before replacing them with my tongue. She gasped loudly but didn't move. She let the tip of my tongue explore her entrance without interruption. She tasted like heaven. When I let the roughness of my tongue graze over her nub, she decided to make her presence known. She made love to my tongue as her orgasm washed over her.

Soon, I was kneeled behind her once more. My hardness was pressed against her thigh as my hands continued to roam over her body. This time, she was struggling to control her breathing. I placed the head of my hardness at her entrance but stopped. I needed to hear her say it.

"Please," she begged. "Please, make love to me."

There was no denying her as I did those previous nights. I wanted her and nothing was going to stop me. I grabbed my hardness and slid it through her and then into her. She shuddered and gasped as she slowly moved back against me. I grunted as she took all of me inside of her. I grabbed her hips to steady her movements; withdrawing myself out of her as slowly as possible.

The sounds of my wife's enjoyment filled the room …her moans, her wetness. The soft sounds of her sighing were beautiful and enchanting. She began to move a little faster; the intensity was building in us both. I couldn't go easy anymore. I had to hear the sounds of her pleasure fill the room. Deeper sounds ecstasy began to fill the empty house as I went deeper and deeper inside of her.

I grabbed her thigh and somehow maneuvered her so that she was on her back; never taking myself out of her for even a second. I pushed my hips forward and she gasped. My hands cupped her ass perfectly as I pulled her closer to me. Sookie lifted both of her legs up and let them fall onto my shoulders. I began working hard on pleasing my lover. She was taking all that I had to give her; each stroke from the head to the shaft again and again. It was taking all of the willpower that I had not to cum.

My wife's eyes were closed. The fire danced behind us as we made love. I watched her beautiful face; every movement …the pleasure …the ecstasy. I began swirling my hips which made her eyes fly open and her nails dig into my arms. I held her eyes with mine as I moved deeper into her. Sookie's eyes widened as did her legs. She willingly received me.

"Is it good, my lover?" I encouraged her to move even more than before.

She could only moan. No words escaped her. The sounds of her pleasure were my answers.

Sookie and I had made love many times before and I'd never seen her like that before. I'd never seen her give herself so freely and so completely to me. Something within me ached to surrender right along with her.

"Eric …Eric …" she repeated my name over and over again. Her eyes closed as she got lost in her own pleasure. What happened next, I couldn't stop it. I didn't want to stop it. "I give you all of me."

And so she did. I had no choice but to concede. I surrendered to her. I rested my forehead against hers and said, "I love you." With each thrust, I surrendered to the love that I have for her. "I love you," I repeated it over and over again.

No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<br>No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<p>

I slowly moved inside of her. Our eyes were locked. I barely moved at all. The connection that existed between us was stronger than I was. We looked through each other, into each other. Our souls were one.

I began moving again and she met me with her eyes, her heart, and her soul. Every movement made her even more open than before. She was giving me more and more of herself. I could see that she was seeing herself for whom and what she truly was for the first time. It only made me want her even more. She was matching each of my movements. Her hands began digging into my shoulders and she was pulling me closer and closer into her.

"Eric …Eric …so close," she stuttered. She was bucking and moaning.

"Cum, lover," I said. "But here. Right here …into my eyes …into my mouth …into my soul."

She looked at me as I gently lifted her chin. I claimed her mouth as my own. Her sounds were muffled against my kisses. Kissing from her mouth to her ear, I said, "Bite me, Sookie; feed from me."

"Together; we'll do it together."

Lifting her into my arms and carrying her to the couch, I let her straddle me. She began riding me. We breathed evenly and slowly. Sookie wrapped her arms around my neck and made love to me. As if on cue, she quickened her pace. Tightly, I took hold of her hips in order to support her as she rode me. She didn't need any help, though. Incredibly and exotically, she began to rotate her hips on my swollen hardness. She began to rock back and forth as I suckled at her perfectly pink nipples.

The look that was on her beautiful face was more than enough to almost end me, but I managed to contain myself until I felt her contracting around my shaft.

Looking into my eyes, she said, "Eric! Bite me now! I am yours!"

Why did she say that? I sank my fangs in the curve of her soft neck, and drew hard and deep. Her dull teeth bit into the curve of my neck and she drew hard and deep. Every ounce of love that we felt for each other was alive and in our bond. With each pull, I thrust deeper and deeper inside of her. Our orgasms were even more intense than they've ever been. We were one again. We were finally one again. With each swallow of my blood, she held me tighter and tighter. I could feel my blood flowing through her veins. I was alive again.

Then it happened.

She gasped and sobbed, opening her eyes in surprise and withdrawing her mouth from my neck. My blood was still on her lips. Tears fell from her eyes. She gripped either side of my face as she moved on my hardness. Tears began to fall from my eyes. We were in heaven.

Mama I'm flyin'  
>Mama I'm flyin'<p>

Once we'd landed back on earth, she rested her head on my chest. She wrapped her arms around me and cried as I've never known her to cry.

She didn't move.

She didn't speak.

There was no tremble.

There was no noise.

There was only peace.

I can go  
>I can go anywhere<br>No other love  
>can take me there<p>

She sat up and looked at me. She looked into my eyes.

She smiled.

She put her hands on my face.

She smiled.

She still didn't speak.

She smiled.

No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<br>No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<p>

She continued to sit upright.

She left her hands on my face.

"I am _so_ sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know."

I wrapped my arms around her waist. I wanted to hear her say it. I had to hear her say it.

"No matter what, Eric, I love you. I'll always be with you."

She smiled.

I waited.

No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<br>No other love  
>Mama, I'm flying<p>

"I remember you," she whispered.

She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.

I kissed her passionately and then I was lost in her eyes. For the first time in five years, I was once again a happy vampire. My friend, my wife, and my lover; she was home.

"My wife," I said.

"I remember you."


	54. Chapter 54

I Remember You

Chapter 54

**I have a quick question. Is there an issue w/fanfic stories being disabled or deleted? When I tried to post a chapter for 'He's Mine' it wouldn't let me. A warning came up advising me that the story was inappropriate. The warning said that the story is for mature audiences and they don't have an MA rating. I didn't think that my story was an MA story. 'I Remember You' is a lot more MA than 'He's Mine'. Has anyone else had their stories deleted or received emails about getting them deleted b/c of content?**

**I love that you take the time to PM, read and review the story. You guys are the greatest. Thank you all so much for your time and I hope that you enjoy. And the disclaimer remains the same; story is mine, the characters are not. They belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris.**

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><p>While Sookie was looking into Eric's eyes, she remembered the first time she'd seen the man that she was making love with. She was sitting by her waterfall and her feet were dangling in the cool blue waters. She knew that she wanted him and she knew without a doubt that he was truly the man of her dreams. She never understood why she was in love with him. He was a stranger then but being with him now, she knew. At that very instant, she knew. It had nothing to do with what he was or who he was. It had nothing to do with his position in the vampire world. It had nothing to do with any of that.<p>

It was his soul that she loves. Her grandfather was wrong. It didn't matter that he was a vampire. He was worthy of her and she wanted him. She wanted all of him. She wanted everything that he was. Her dreams had come true. She now had him and she had every part of him ...everything that he is and was belongs to her. And she was never going to let him go. He had so much more going for him. He was more than just a vampire. She knew that.

She could see that he wanted to be seen as something more than just a vampire. He wanted to be seen as a man but only by her. In the weeks since she'd found him, she'd seen the man that he wanted to be but she loves the vampire that he is. And because of that, she was now complete. They were complete.

She looked into his eyes and smiled as tears streamed down her face; a memory. She remembered him standing alone in the wooded clearing. She could see it as if it were happening at that exact moment. He was looking up into the sky. That night she saw him being held tightly by the grips of pain; never releasing him. Sookie knew that it was up to her to set him free. She'd given herself to him. She'd freely given him all of her; her soul, her mind, her heart and she'd selfishly taken them away. She would never do that again. Everything that she is now, will forever be a part of him.

Eric watched Sookie's face as she studied his. Her eyes were going a mile a second. The more she stared at him the more concerned he became.

"Sookie," he finally whispered.

Sookie placed her hands on either side of Eric's face and said, "I'd dreamed of you for many nights and then ...boom ...there you were; no longer the man in my dreams. You were in the moon and when I saw you, I wished that I was the moon; just for that night. I would have been able to watch over you until the sunrise. I saw you, Eric."

"You were there?"

She nodded. "I was there. You were standing in the clearing and you were sad and lonely. A song was playing. You tried to escape the words of the song but you couldn't get away. It followed you out into the night. You roared into the night air because the song reminded you of your loneliness. I heard you. You called out to me and I answered. Did you hear the wind carrying your name?"

He nodded.

She smiled. "That was me. I was with you. Do you remember that night, Eric?"

Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I do," he whispered.

Sookie wrapped her arms around Eric and she began to move on his hardness as she thought of the man in her dreams; the man in the moon.

As she rode him, she whispered, "The wind kissed you and you could smell me in the air. It wasn't a dream, baby. It was real. It was me. I wrapped you in the comfort of my love, in my arms. I didn't want you to feel lonely. Did you feel it, Eric? Can you feel it now?"

She made love to him as she gave him the same love that she'd given to him that night.

Eric didn't speak. He held onto her for dear life. She was his anchor but he remembered that night. He remembered what he was feeling; the pain, the torment, the agony. The cruelty of it was the worse. The loneliness was the excruciating. He didn't believe it was possible for a vampire to feel the feelings that she made him feel. He wanted her so desperately and now she was back. He needed to see her eyes. He knew that if he looked into her eyes, that he wasn't crazy as Pam and Bill believed him to be.

"Look at me lover," he said.

When she did, he gasped because he knew that he hadn't been dreaming. He did see her in the moon. He did feel her love in the wind. It was her kiss that he'd felt on his face. He knew that she was coming back to him. He'd always known that Sookie was going to come back home. As he slowly moved inside of her, he began to tell her what he felt that night.

"I wanted to be the moon that night. I wanted to be without pain if only for a few hours and then I saw you. I felt you. You were lying on the ground with a white bird perched upon your shoulder. You were dressed in a beautiful white gown. Your fingers danced over the waters. The most beautiful sight that night was you."

He kissed her neck and went deeper into her before he spoke again. "You could see me. You were smiling at me. I reached for you but I couldn't reach high enough." Eric gripped the back of Sookie's head and kissed her passionately.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'll never leave you again."

"You're mine."

"I'm yours," she moaned into his mouth. "Forever, I'm yours."

Eric gripped Sookie's hips and moved his hands slowly up her breasts. He cupped them and tenderly began to massage them. Sookie offered Eric one of her breasts. As he kissed and loved her nipple, his eyes were filled with passion. She began to swirl her hips even more than before. She could feel herself begin to reach her moment. Her wetness began to clamp onto his hardness.

Just as she met her orgasm, Eric's fang pierced her nipple. With each pull of her nipple, the lovers reached their orgasm together.

Not wanting to let her go, Eric wrapped Sookie into his arms and carried her to their bedroom; her legs still wrapped around his waist. Once they were in bed, they looked into each other's eyes and stared into their forever.

Eric never expected to be as happy as he was. He always knew that she would come back to him and he knew what to expect when she returned. He expected to feel pure happiness and joy but not like this. This was something that he never expected. And for this, he would be forever grateful.

All Eric could think was of ways to thank Niall for all that he has done for them …for him. He is the reason she was home. Niall was the reason everything felt the way that it should. She was home and remembered him. Just by making love, she remembered some of their life together. She was happy and she was happy because they were together again. And she'd done the same thing for him.

"You've made me so very happy, Sookie."

With her hand resting on his face, Sookie said to Eric, "That night, I knew that I would have you. You were so lonely. When I saw you, I wanted you. Your heart called out to me. You wanted to be loved so very badly and I wanted so very badly to love you. You were made for me."

As the lover's held each other, there were smiles and kisses throughout their time of peace. Simple touches to the others face or a slight peck to the tip of one's nose; the love was alive within them. The bond between the two lovers was fully open and the emotions that lived between them were like heartbeats.

Eric loved it. Eric was alive. He didn't expect things to be this easy. He was a happy vampire once more. He could think clearly again. Now that she was well and safe, Eric wanted to ask her about the Sarah Newlin incident but he didn't want to talk shop tonight. He wanted to share every single second with her. He didn't want those seconds to be marred by the thoughts of the FoTS or BVA members. Those things could wait until later.

He wanted to hear about her new memories. He wanted to know about her college life and her friends. Since she returned home, he needed to know what her new life was like. He needed to be a part of her human life. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes as before. He was going to be smarter with the second chance that he was given.

"Tell me about your college life. I want to know about the classes that you took. I want to hear about your professors. I want to know about the sorority that you're a part of. I want to know everything about your time away. I want to know everything that you did while you were away. What did you like best about college?" Eric asked.

Sookie fell silent for the first time since they began talking. She couldn't remember anything about college. She remembered graduating but nothing else. Each time she opened her mouth to answer one of his questions, she had to close it. There was nothing that she could say. She didn't remember any of the classes that she'd taken. She didn't remember any of her professors. She knew that she had a college life. Amelia was always there. The girls that were her SoRo sisters were there. She remembered Danni. She remembered them all …or did she? Her mind suddenly went blank. She didn't know how to answer his questions. She didn't know if she could.

"I don't know," she answered. She looked confused when she said it again. "I don't know."

Eric realized that he may have asked her too much too soon. Her memories of college may not be up for discussion just yet. He knew that the college memories were meant to cover up her time in Faery but he'd assumed that Niall had done a better job or replacing the memories. If he'd known that she wouldn't know, he never would've asked her.

"If you don't want to talk about it right now, we don't have to. You can lie here and rest. You've been through quite a bit tonight."

She shook her head no. Lying on her stomach and resting on her elbows, she looked at Eric and said, "I have to know what I liked about college… right? I graduated at the top of my class and now I work with children in a prominent psychiatric facility. I remember the girls from my sorority. I saw a couple of them a few weeks ago. I remember the parties. It had to have happened, right?"

He nodded because he didn't know what to say.

"They invited Amelia and me to the five year class reunion. We're going in a few weeks. I went to college."

When she looked at Eric, she had a lost look on her face. Then she asked him the million dollar question. "I did go to college didn't I? I did." She looked almost frightened.

Eric didn't want to destroy what she knew to be true. He couldn't take that away from her. The old Sookie didn't want to spend her life as a barmaid. She had always wanted more but she was never given the chance. If this is what made her happy them he was going to go along with it.

Eric kissed her and said, "You did, my lover. Your life is as you've always wanted it to be. You've always wanted to have a career and a life filled with friends. You wanted to make a difference in peoples' lives and that is what you've done. That's what you've always done. You're an amazing woman."

She rested her head on his chest.

As he kissed her once more, he said, "Never doubt who you are. Anyway, it is possible that you don't remember because you've had a very trying week. You were hurt and you slept for four days and nights. It's okay. You've been through a lot. Come lover, dawn is approaching. Let me hold you."

Sookie ignored his last remark. "What do you mean I was hurt? I didn't get hurt."

The look on his face told her something entirely different. "You don't remember?"

"No." She frowned at Eric and said, "What happened to me?"

This time Eric looked lost. "You don't know what happened?"

She only blinked her response to him.

"Well, it's not important, my lover. We can talk about that later."

Sookie sat up quite abruptly. "I don't want to talk about it later. What happened to me? How was I hurt?" Eric reached for her; to calm her. She flinched away from him. "No, Eric. You need to tell me."

"Sookie, you need to calm down."

Sookie got up from the bed and began pacing the room. She was getting agitated. She saw flashes of the night. The man with the bypass scars on his chest flitted through her mind. She remembered Delia trying to hit on Eric and how it angered her. Eric threatened the drunken man …Johnny. Johnny Fairplay was his name. She and Eric then left the club. They were walking and talking. They were having a great time. They were listening to jazz music and ….

She remembered. She and Eric talking and she could hear the mind of the man running up behind them.

'Kill the vampire.'

The man was walking quickly in their direction.

'Kill the vampire.'

She heard him as he continued to rush in their direction. That was the only sentence the man was repeating over and over in his mind. She could see the flurry of hate and blood going through the man's mind. She had to stop him. She wasn't going to lose Eric again. She'd just gotten him back.

She suddenly stopped and slowly turned around to look at Eric, her eyes were no longer blue. They were almost black.

"He tried to kill you. I could feel him coming and I got him. I crushed his throat with my hand." She looked at her hand as if the remnants of the man's throat were still there. A deadly smile took up residence on her face. "They were going to kill you because they thought that you killed Sarah Newlin. He was going to stab you but he got me instead."

She touched the part of stomach that was once the home of the man's potential murder weapon. Sookie ran and jumped back into bed with Eric. She nestled into his chest. "They automatically assumed that it was you that killed her. It was my kill. I killed her. Oh, how I wish I could tell them. Sarah thought that she was so smart. But I showed her. I'll show them all."

Eric was filled with pride. Eric smoothed down Sookie's hair as she rested her head on his chest. "Yes you did, my lover. I am so very proud of you."

Sookie nestled down into his arms. "I'll protect what's mine. They'll come back for you and they're coming back strong but you will prevail. You showed them tonight what you're made of. We'll end this and come out on top." Looking up at him she asked, "You want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you have me," she replied. "They don't know about me. No one knows about me. I see things that they don't want you to know about. I hear things that they don't say out loud. I can get them before they even come our way. We can kill them. We can kill them all." Sookie's hand trailed down Eric stomach to his special place.

He inhaled the scent in the bedroom and he knew that she wanted him. Eric could feel his hardness beginning to stir and stiffen because of her touch, her scent and her words. He turned his head and looked at the bedside clock. They had fifteen minutes. He could do a lot of damage in those fifteen minutes.

"Well, baby, do your best."

Eric didn't even care that Sookie read his mind. He just wanted to make her happy so …he did his best.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry that I've been late w/the chapter. Work called and I had to answer. Hope that you enjoyed. Update: If anyone hears anything about the issues w/some of the stories please let me know. I still can't post the next chapter of my story. I've emailed them but haven't heard anything back. Thanks for your time.**


	55. Chapter 55

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 55**

**The story begins two weeks after our lovers have reformed their bond. The world of the supernaturals is falling back into place. Eric is still running his state and working at Fangtasia and Sookie is still working with her children.**

**I want to apologize to you all about waiting so long to post this chapter. Thank you all so much for sticking with me. Your patience is greatly appreciated. As always, I want to thank you all for reading, reviewing, and making this story one of your favorites.**

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><p>As I was leaving work, I noticed the covert vehicle following me down the road again; the obnoxiously huge and covert vehicle.<p>

Wavy haired Mike, the BVA member that's been trying to find some dirt on Eric, has been following me for the past two weeks. He hasn't seen us together but Mike knows that the big blond guy that owns Fangtasia is seeing a human woman that works with children. Since I'm the only human woman that goes back and forth to Fangtasia and works with children, he was finally able to deduce that I am that human woman. And can you believe that they never realized my name even though I have vanity plates? Did I mention that BVA and FoTSs members are complete idiots?

Anyway, Eric and I haven't hidden our relationship from anyone but we haven't exactly publicized it either. Eric told me that whenever a vampire has a human, they will do what they can to try to use that human as leverage against that vampire. That goes for the BVA and FotSs too. Just as I told him a few nights ago, we'll have the upper hand. What they don't seem to realize is that I'm not exactly human. Eric says that we should keep that under wraps as well and as usual, I fell in line. My high-handed king has laid down the law once again.

Well, Mike has followed me every night. Every night after work, I head to Fangtasia and every night, wavy haired Mike is not too far behind me but he's never close behind me. I have two advantages. He can't follow me to Eric's house and he can't follow me home. People that mean us harm can't come within ten miles of our homes. Mike wouldn't even be able to step on the porch of either house even if he wanted to. Good ol' Amelia.

I haven't told Eric about it yet. About Mike, I mean. I know that if I do, he's going to blow a gasket and kill the guy without asking him one question and that we cannot have. As soon as Eric attacks, they are going to use it against him. They will take him to the human authorities and they will kill him. That, Iwill not allow. So tonight, I'm not going straight to Eric or straight to Fangtasia.

Before I tell you what it is, let me explain myself. My whole agenda is to try and keep us safe until we can take care of the enemy without being caught. I'm not trying to hide anything from Eric. I'd never do that. I'm only trying to keep him out of their line of fire. Sure, Eric could help me with the plan but there is really no point in getting him involved because he wouldn't let me do it. So, here goes. I have a date with a human.

Well, it's not really a date. Eric knows that I have meeting with a parent but he doesn't know with whom. Okay, yes. I lied by omission but it was for a good cause. And for argument's sake, I didn't really think that who the meeting was with really mattered. Okay, it does matter but there's really no point in upsetting Eric. Besides, I don't think who I am meeting with is really all that important. Okay, it is important but there are bigger things at stake. Covert Mike and is obnoxious vehicle are what's important.

I say that because Mike doesn't know that I was going to a meeting. He'll think that it's a date when it's not really a date. That's what I need and that's what I'll get; especially considering the person that I'm having the meeting with. It's Remy Savoy and we're meeting for an early dinner. Remy knows that it's not a date so I'm in the clear. In no way am I leading him on to believe that our meeting is anything more than that. We're only meeting because there have been some issues with vampires hanging around outside of his home.

Remy brought Hunter to see me and I questioned him about it but he wouldn't say too much. Hunter only told me that the glowing people were standing outside his bedroom window and people with squiggly minds are following him during the day. When I tried to press him for more information, he clammed up on me. That's understandable. The boy is terrified. If I was a child and glowing people and squiggly minds were standing outside of my bedroom window and following me around, I'd be scared too. So, to try and help Remy remedy the problem, I offered to meet up with him at The Bistro for dinner this evening.

I made sure to wear my work clothes to the meeting; date to wavy haired Covert Mike. I did that so Remy wouldn't think anything but I did put on a little extra lipstick and flipped my hair for Mike's benefit. I wore a red pencil skirt that was professional yet sexy in its own way with a white silk blouse. I wore black red bottomed stilettos and my hair was down. It couldn't look too much like a meeting or else Mike wouldn't have bought it. On second thought, he may have. He is following me around in a bright red Humvee.

Well, when the hostess walked me to Remy's table, Mike wasn't too far behind me. He slinked on past me. I looked up at him and smiled. The idiot had the gall to look down at me and smile as he ran to grab a seat at the bat. And to be sure that he could see everything that was going on, he sat at the end of the bar facing our table … smiling at me. He was actually smiling at me. Told you they're not too bright.

When the waitress and I approached Remy, he stood and smiled. Being the lady that I am, I offered him my hand in greeting. "Hi, Remy, I hope that you are doing well this evening," I said as he walked around the table to pull my seat out for me.

"I am," he said.

"Thank you," I said to him once I was seated.

"My pleasure, Sookie," Remy said.

Once Remy returned to his seat, the hostess said, "Your waiter will be right with you." She smiled sweetly at him as she walked away.

"I am doing quite well, thank you. How are you doing this evening?" Remy asked.

"I'm doing great."

Remy then cleared his throat. "If you don't mind me saying so, you're very beautiful tonight," he said hurriedly.

"Thank you," I said.

Though Mike wasn't close enough to hear what we were talking about, he was close enough to watch us. So I made sure that he saw the sultry smile that I bestowed upon my dear Remy as I listened for any dangers around us. Luckily, I didn't find any. The night was still young though and anything could happen and usually when it comes to me, it usually does.

"So," I said. "Let's get down to business. You wanted to talk to me about Hunter."

Before he could speak, our waitress came over to our table. "Hi, I'm Felicity and I'll be your waitress this evening." After her introduction, she asked us what we would like to drink. "We have a great variety for you to choose from." She went over the wine list and she was right. There was a lot to choose from.

When Felicity was done with the list of wines, Remy asked, "Sookie, what would you like to drink?"

"White wine would be great," I stated.

"Two white wines please," Remy ordered.

The next thing she did was go over the specials of the day. Snails and other garden bugs didn't sound too appetizing so Remy and I took to our menus. And from the looks on our faces, she knew exactly what we were thinking.

Whispering, she said, "I know exactly how you're feeling. Not many people want to eat snails dipped in garlic and onion sauce. We have a lot of other things to choose from in our menus." She even assisted in deciding on what would be best for tonight's dinner. She raved on and on about their steaks so I decided on the steak.

"I'll have the New York strip with the bleu cheese topping. I also want the baked macaroni and cheese and the collard greens. And instead of the yeast rolls, I'd rather have the sweet potato roll." I didn't realize how hungry I was until I saw the menu. Plus the fact that my stomach was touching my spine should have been another blinding clue for me.

"Sounds delicious," Remy said. "I think I'll have the same."

The young lady nodded as she scribbled in her little pad. "Great choices," she said. "You're going to love the baked macaroni and cheese. We use four different types of cheeses and they complement each other perfectly. It's the best in the great state of Louisiana. Also your meals come with a salad and a side order of the house dressing. I'll be back in just a few moments with your drinks. Your order will be along shortly." The girl smiled at us and walked away.

"Okay," I said once we were alone. "What's going on with Hunter?"

Leaning forward, he said, "He's always watching the windows. He's always telling me not to open the door at night. He says that it isn't safe. Whenever we go out, he keeps his eyes on the woods. It's gotten so that he doesn't want to leave the house at night. I had to have the sitter go to the house tonight. He's never been so reluctant to go to her house before but now … he's different. He's terrified, Sookie and I don't know what to do. I've never seen my son so afraid before and it worries me."

Mimicking his movements, I asked, "Has he been saying things that he shouldn't say when you're out? You know … reading people's minds or answering questions that they haven't asked? I've talked to him about this and I told him how important it is that he doesn't do that. I've warned him that it puts you both in danger."

Whispering so low that I almost couldn't hear him, he said, "Yeah. I've warned him time and time again not to do it but he keeps telling me that he can't help it. He's just a child, Sookie. What am I supposed to do?"

I looked at him sternly. "The first thing you have to do is to stop lying to me. You told me that he'd stopped. You can't hide these things from me. You are hindering my progress, Remy. How are we supposed to progress if you're working against me?" I realized my tone and my anger. "I apologize but you can't do this. It could put you both in danger. You have to stop him."

He looked lost and unaware. "I know and I'm sorry."

I rested my hand atop his and read him. He was telling me the truth. He was doing the best he could. "Is it happening more than before?"

"Yes."

I closed my eyes and let myself fall back in my seat. My worst fears have come to pass. He's been discovered. I've told Hunter time and time again to keep his mouth shut. I've warned all of my children that there are bad people out there that will try to take them and use them; humans and supernaturals alike. I can't stress it enough that they need to be safe and smart when using their gifts.

"When did it start? With the people coming around your house, I mean."

Remy shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. "One night when we were at Dairy Queen, there was a man there with a young girl. They were standing behind us. Hunter turned around and looked at him. He asked him why he glowed and why he couldn't hear him. When he did, the man looked at him and asked him how he knew that. He told Hunter that most humans can't see it. Hunter said that he could see it; just like he could see the glow of the woman that was standing in the woods."

That's how they found him. Hunter revealed himself to a vampire. He was no longer safe. The vampires would do anything to have a child like Hunter with them. They could be powerful beyond their wildest dreams. They'd kill Remy to get to him and when the time was right, they would turn him and Hunter would belong to them forever. What has he done?

When the waitress brought our drinks, I was quickly jerked out of my thoughts. This was just too much for me to deal with. Then it dawned on me. As soon as the waitress was gone, I told Remy what he needed to do. "Call the sitter now," I urged. "Tell her to let no one in the house or open the door for anyone. They are probably watching your house. They know that you're gone."

I didn't have to tell him twice. The sitter answered on the first ring and he warned her. "Don't let anyone in that house. When I get home, I will blow the horn. Unless you hear my car horn, do not open the door. Do you understand me? Don't let anyone in. As a matter of fact, don't even answer the phone after we hang up."

I gave him the thumbs up.

I could hear the girl telling Remy that even if she wanted to open the door, she couldn't. She said that Hunter has them shut up in his room and won't let her out. "He keeps telling me that we're safe in his room. We've been in here all night watching cartoons. He keeps talking about the black minds."

"Good," Remy said. "Stay in there until I get home. I won't be long too much longer."

"Sure, Mr. Savoy; good night and enjoy your dinner."

After ending the call, he repeated what the girl told him. "They're safe."

"Can you bring Hunter to see me tomorrow morning …early tomorrow morning? I need to reiterate with him how important it is that he doesn't speak of his gifts. He's putting himself and everyone around him in danger."

Out of habit, I reached across the table and placed my hand atop Remy's. "He has to be careful. I know that he is very young and I know that you have a hard time correcting him but he needs to know the truth. I have to tell him the truth. What I tell him, might frighten him but it's for his own good. He needs to be afraid. He'll fully understand why he can't do what he's doing. I have to do this. You do understand that, right?"

Remy looked at my hand and began stroking it with his thumb.

Why did he have to go and do that? I sighed and slowly pulled my hand away and gave him a sweet smile. I looked away from Remy and let my gaze fall upon Mike. He was watching us intently. So intently as a matter of fact, that he didn't notice that I was staring at him until he noticed me staring at him. He almost fell off of his bar stool trying to look away. The idiot even wasted his drink.

That's when our waitress took that opportunity to come to the table and bring our salads and our dinner. She wanted to ask if we needed anything else but when she noticed the look on my face as I eyed Mike, she decided against it.

Deciding that the side of Mike's face was no longer interesting, I prepared to eat my dinner. As I was putting my napkin on my lap, Remy decided that he was going to change the subject. "Are you seeing anyone?"

I sat there for a minute and held my fork before answering him. "I am."

Remy bit into a tomato and chewed on it slowly. He stared at me before speaking. "Does he know that you're here with me?"

"Yes he knows that I'm here but I'm not with you. I'm with you. We're having a meeting about your son. It's not a date. As I've told you before, I don't date the parents of my children. It is quite unethical and it would cause problems if things didn't work out."

After taking a bite of the best mac and cheese in Louisiana, I looked at him and said, "Anyway, you wouldn't even give me a second look the first time we met. Now you want to date me? Shallow much?"

He looked surprised but laughed just the same. "You're right and in my defense, you looked quite miserable when I first met you. You looked as if something was missing in you but after seeing you again, your smile made you more ... I don't know, approachable. I could see your eyes better when you smiled."

Now that made me blush and he was right. Something was missing and that something was Eric Northman.

"And I do remember your rule about not dating parents. I just wanted to be sure that you weren't lonely. I was interested in the position of being your boyfriend or companion but only if the position is open." He smiled over his wine glass. I couldn't help but return the smile to him.

"The position is currently filled and I am very much in love. He is what was missing when you first met me."

He nodded and smiled. "He's a very lucky man."

I raised my wine glass to him and returned his smile. "Thank you."

For the next hour or so, we talked about nothing really but were comfortable enough with each other to do so. After our dinner had been eaten, we lingered around for a few extra minutes.

Glancing at my watch, I realized how late it had become. Eric had been up for over two hours and I knew that he was waiting on me. If I didn't get to him, he would track me down and find me. And if he sees me with Remy, he wouldn't be happy about that at all. He would think that we were on a date and that would give Mike something to report back to the BVA.

So, to cut out the middle man, I told Remy that I needed to go. "I have to go and meet Eric. He's waiting on me." As I stood up to leave, I asked, "You will bring Hunter to me tomorrow morning?"

Standing when I did, Remy said yes, "As soon as I get him dressed and ready."

When I put my purse on my shoulder, I said, "Good night, Remy. Drive carefully and be safe when you get home." Standing close to him and whispering in his ear, I said, "If a vampire approaches you, don't look him in the eyes. He'll try to glamor you to get into your home. And whatever you do, don't invite them in. They'll kill you and take Hunter. Keep him and yourself safe, okay?"

When I stepped back and looked into his eyes, I could see it. For the first time since warning him about the dangers that Hunter is in, he looked frightened and he said as much.

"You're scaring me."

"Good; you need to be afraid because they'll do whatever they can to take him."

"How do you know this?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "I just know."

He stared deep into my eyes and said, "It's happened to you, hasn't it?"

I shook my head no but in reality, I have no idea. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you heed my warning. Also, I'll send someone to your house to put wards on it. They're spells and they'll keep you and Hunter safe. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for dinner."

As I walked away, I could feel his eyes on me and I could hear Mike rushing to catch up to me. His mind was going a mile a minute. He didn't know whether Remy was my boyfriend or if I was a fangbanging cheater. He didn't know what to report back to the BVA or FoTS members. For a split second he even thought that I could be his type if I would stop fucking around with the deader.

While I fidgeted with my keys, Mike walked to his inconspicuous and larger than life red Humvee. I couldn't help but shake my head. For two weeks, that idiot has been following me in a Humvee and he thinks that I haven't noticed him. No wonder he's a part of the BVA. Ignoramuses run in packs.

When I got into my car and cranked her up, there was a tap at my window. I assumed that it was going to be Remy. Well, the joke was on me. It was a vampire and he was quite handsome; dark and handsome. What he wanted, I didn't know but was more than anxious to find out.

Leaving my window rolled up and purposely letting him see me reach over and lock my door, I asked, "What do you want?"

Through the glass, he said, "I think I know you. Don't think badly of me but I've smelled your scent before. Have you ever been around …?"

Cutting him off, I said, "Who I've been around is none of your business."

He laughed at me as if I was an amusing toy. That pissed me off. "If you don't mind me asking, which you probably will, what business did you have with the male human that you were dining with tonight. Is he a companion of yours?"

"You're awfully nosy, aren't ya? Just know that he's not a companion of yours. And if you don't mind me tell you, that's also none of your business. But I will advise you to stay away from him or you'll be in big trouble, Mister. Now, if that's all, I bid you good day, sir."

He laughed a hearty laugh. "You're different."

"So they say," I said as I drove away.

As I looked through my rearview mirror, the vampire watched me until I was no longer in his sights. Something told me to call Eric and let him know that I was on my way. He answered on the first ring.

"Where are you, lover? I was about to come for you. You're angry."

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he had a slight hint if amusement in his voice. "I'm on my way to you and I'm not angry; just tired." I knew that he could sense that I was mad and in a grumpy mood. "I've a shitty day, Eric. Nothing has gone right and it's only getting worse. My boss was being a dick. One of my children is in danger and get this …strange vampires are approaching me. Well, one vampire approached me but it was one vampire too many if you want to the know truth about it."

"Who was it?" The amusement was no longer in Eric's voice. It was a lot sharper than I'd ever known it to be.

"I don't know. I didn't bother to ask his name. I didn't care to. I just know he was a dick too. I've had to deal with three dicks today; not literally mind you but I must say that I'm not happy about it at all." I was grumpier than I was before I called him.

"Come to me, lover," Eric said. "You'll feel better once we're together."

When I pulled into the Fangtasia parking lot, I knew that he was right. I was feeling better already.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you've enjoyed. I'll post another chapter later on this week to make up for lost time.**


	56. Chapter 56

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 56**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You guys have been the best and you have stuck with me throughout this long, long, story and my even longer ADD moments. Now, I may be a little more focused so I can get as much of this story done as possible. Anyway, all I can say is that I can't thank you all enough. I hope that you enjoy and continue to read. As always, you guys are the absolute best.**

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><p>After disconnecting with Sookie, I sat on my throne and thought about what she said. She'd had to deal with dicks all day and one of those dicks was a vampire. A vampire in my area has taken it upon himself to speak to her. A vampire approached her. What vampire would have the temerity to approach my wife? I have warned all vampires in my area that she is mine. Under no circumstances are they to approach her. If any vampire comes into my state, they are to come to me first. They are not to roam the streets of Louisiana without seeing me. I am the king of Louisiana.<p>

"Pam," I called to her.

"Yes, master," she said only seconds later.

"I need for you and two vampires of your choice; preferably Thalia and Indira, to check on something for me. There's a rouge vampire in our midst and he has seen fit to approach my wife, your queen."

Pam smiled and her fangs ran out. "Can I do what I want to said vampire? I've been a very good vampire lately." She began batting her sweet baby blues at me. "I haven't asked you for very much."

I shook my head at her. She's always looking for a gift no matter what it may be. "After I meet with him, he's all yours. You may do with him as you please."

I didn't think it was possible for my child's smile to get any wider or any fangier than before. I watched Pam as she grabbed Indira and Thalia to proceed with their mission.

Now, all I had to do was wait; wait for my lover to come to me. As I waited for Sookie's arrival, I realized that it was an all too familiar task for me. As I'd done for five long years, I watched the entrance of Fangtasia for my lover to come to me but this time, I wouldn't leave after closing the bar for the night to only be filled with disappointment and angst. I would leave here happy, knowing that she is with me. My lover has returned. My lover is mine once again.

Though these past few weeks have been wonderful, I would love nothing more than to have her with me at all times but Sookie loves her job. Not too long ago, I would've requested that she quit her job but not this time. This time it's different. I would never ask her to leave her job and she would never leave my side. That's the way it's should be.

The relationship that we have now is more than I could have ever expected. She stands by me in any situation. She's willing to fight with me and for me without the guilty undertones of before. When I have meetings with other vampire royalty, she understands that she can't be a part of them. Unlike before, she doesn't argue and say that I'm keeping things from her. She understands that some vampire politics have to remain private. Yet and still, I tell her just enough to keep her aware of what's going on; especially if she is involved. She listens intently to what I have to say and she understands.

My lover has returned to me even more enthralling and enchanting than before. Though her memories may not have fully returned and they're not quite the memories that I recall but she remembers enough. What matters the most is that she remembers our love. She remembers us.

As I was thinking of her, she appeared before me. She was putting her phone into her purse as she walked through the door. There was no grumpy or angry look on her face. When she saw me, she stopped in the doorway and looked directly at me and smiled. Her long blond hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. Sookie had me in her sights and it was impossible for me to look away. Her heartbeat was thumping loudly in her chest. I could hear the blood coursing through her veins.

Everyone in the bar sat frozen for a moment. They all watched her. Sookie walked into the bar with her head held high; letting everyone know that she owns the place. To the humans, she looked as delicate as a flower but to me, she was deceptively delicate. She would have killed every single one of them if she'd felt that we were being threatened. And I loved it.

I smiled a fangy smile at her.

Not smiling back, she walked toward me in her red fuck me shoes. I can't seem to recall what else she had on but there was no doubt in my mind that she is beautiful. I only noticed the shoes. Those are the shoes that I love for her to wear when I'm fucking her; claiming what belongs to me. She looked beautiful in those shoes; especially when they would rest pointedly on my chest; the heels digging into my skin as her warmth envelopes me.

When they realized that they would not grab her attention, the humans went back to the business of drinking their overpriced drinks, their dates, and their desperate need to be bitten and fed on …all except for one. There was a human man that was so mesmerized by Sookie that he touched her. No, he mistakenly groped her. I never moved from my throne because I knew what was about to happen.

Sookie turned around and looked at the smiling drunkard. The smile that was on her face must have made him think that she liked it because he didn't show an ounce of fear. I must admit, the smile didn't send warmth flowing through me. If I am to be truthful, it almost made me flinch.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

Ignoring his question completely, she asked, "Do you know me?"

"No but I'd like to," he replied.

From out of nowhere, Heidi had moved down to the end of the bar and stood behind the man. Maxwell Lee was standing beside Sookie and I remained on my throne and watched. Just as a good husband should, I waited for her to give me the 'come on over' look.

"Do you see that sexy and deadly vampire sitting over there on that throne?"

As if on cue, she gave me the look. I did as my lover wanted and I went to her, I couldn't help but want to fuck her right there. The fury on her face was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. Those wide blue eyes were blazing. After forcefully tearing my eyes from her face, I looked down at the man.

"Eric, this man slapped my bottom. Maybe you need to talk to him and let him know who I belong to." She then put her focus on him. "He must be the only man in existence that doesn't seem to know. You definitely need to educate him." Her delicate yet deviant smile widened.

My dick hardened at those words. She smelled so sweetly; so tempting. My fangs slid into place slowly. "I want you to let him know who you belong to, my wife. Let him hear the words come from your sweet mouth while he sees his pending death in my eyes."

When I said the word wife, the man started shaking uncontrollably. "I'm sorry," he said. "I never meant to touch your wife. I didn't know she was married. She's not wearing a ring."

With her vampires surrounding her, Sookie poked him in the chest and electricity left her fingers and pierced into the man's chest. He squeezed his eyes closed and tremored from the pain that was going through him.

Stuttering and drooling as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, he asked, "What is happening to me?"

Leaning in to whisper into his ear, she said, "Doesn't matter. What does matter is that my husband could take you to his dungeon and have you tortured for days for what you've done. You've committed treason in our world. He could kill you without batting an eye."

The man continued to tremble.

"Now, with me, you never know what you're going to get. I could send enough electricity to your heart and kill you quickly but I won't." The small stream of light brightened. "What should we do to him, baby? Should we kill him or should we let him go this one time? It's up to you."

Through the bond, she was sending me calm. It was her way of letting me know that she wanted to let him go. He was drunk and didn't realize who Sookie is. My lover only wanted to give him warning. I wanted to at least torture him but to please her I agreed with her.

"Let him go this time, my lover. Next time he won't be so lucky."

The man closed his eyes as tears fell over his ugly face.

"Look at me," I commanded of the human.

The man slowly opened his fear filled eyes.

When he looked at me, I glamored what he'd seen Sookie do from his mind. I also made sure he would never make the same mistakes again. "What you saw my wife do tonight, is no more than a distant memory. Whenever you see this bar, you'll turn and go the other way. Whenever you see a vampire, you will show nothing but respect to each and everyone that you meet. And remember human, when you see this woman, you will know that she belongs to a vampire and no one touches her but me. She is mine. There is no mistaking what will happen to you if you disrespect her again. I will kill you."

He nodded rapidly and said okay. When I and my vampires stepped away from the human, he sprinted out of the bar without looking back.

"He's never coming back here," Sookie said with a smile in her voice. She thanked her vampires. "You guys are the greatest."

They each gave us a slight bow and walked away.

When they were gone, she turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Hey, baby. I missed you today. I've had such a bad day but I'm with you now." She sighed and rested her head against my chest. "I'm home now."

I no longer wanted to fuck her or claim her. I wanted to make love to her. I wanted to hold her in my arms. I wanted her to feel just how much she means to me. I wanted nothing more than to tell her just how much she means to me. All I could think about were the years without her.

"Don't ever leave me, Sookie. You can never leave me again," I said into her fresh spring sun scented washed hair.

"Silly, old vampire," she said jokingly as she leaned back to look into my eyes. "I'll never leave you again. I love you."

My heart melted at her words. Taking her hand into mine, I led her to our table. There, we sat together in silence. She placed her hands on the table and bowed her head. A heavy sigh escaped her. When I looked at her face, I knew that she was basking in the silence of my mind.

After a few minutes, I placed my hand atop hers and asked, "What happened today?"

She looked up at me with sad and pleading eyes. "Mr. Haynes is giving me a hard time. He wants to start videotaping my sessions and he suggested that I let another therapist help me with my children. But he can't do that Eric. If he does, he'll put my children in danger. He said that he believes that I'm doing something unethical to make the children so much more comfortable around me. He seems to think that I have bribed or blackmailed the parents. He said that he doesn't understand why they are so much more at ease around me."

She then shook her head. "He's up to something, Eric. When I was out of work from the stabbing, Amelia told him that I was on a vacation. I'd never taken a vacation before so it shouldn't have been much of a problem. Right?"

I nodded.

"Well, can you believe that he tried to take my children away from me while I was recuperating? He's called in another therapist," she repeated. "The only reason he wasn't able to let another therapist see them was because the children and their parents are crazy about me. This is so confusing to me. He's never acted like that before. He's always trusted me, Eric." She leaned her head against my shoulder and closed her eyes. "I tried reading him but got nothing. His mind was blank to me. I could only see numbers going through his mind. Something is wrong. I just don't know what it is but something is wrong. I won't let him take my children."

I could feel her exhaustion but she was peaceful for the first time today. At a different time, I would be bombarding her with questions about Mr. Haynes posture or how he spoke to her. I would be telling her that if he was threatening in any way that I would kill him without a second thought. I would have no choice but to kill Mr. Haynes for the burdens that he has put on my lover's shoulders …but I didn't. I didn't try to solve her problems. I didn't try to force my powerful presence upon her. I let her vent. I'd decided that if she needed my help, she would ask me for it.

"This is nice," I said.

"I just wanted to be beside you," she said as she looked up at me with pure love in her eyes. "It always makes me feel better."

"That pleases me," I said to her. I wasn't going to question her about her problems with Mr. Haynes but something was intriguing about what Sookie said to me. "Let me ask you, lover. Why is Mr. Haynes interested in your children and the sessions that you have with your children?"

Sookie sat up and looked at me for a long minute as if to study my face. She almost looked apprehensive about telling me. She couldn't decide on what she should say or if she should say anything. I knew that it had nothing to do with trust. It was all about fear. Not for herself but for those children. Now, I'm as intrigued as Mr. Haynes.

"What is it, lover? What is it that you're not telling me?"

"I trust you, Eric and I know that you will never betray me but I need to hear you say it. It's not for me. It's for my children. They need to be protected and it's always been up to me. Please understand, baby, why I'm saying this. If anyone finds out about my children …" She trailed off as she couldn't form the words.

"You've always been able to trust me. I would never betray you under any circumstances. I've never betrayed you. Tell me, lover," I said.

She cupped her hands around her mouth as she leaned over and whispered very lightly in my ear. The words that came from her mouth were more than I expected to hear. I didn't know what to say or what to do. So, I stared straight ahead at nothing.

Sookie leaned back in her seat and stared at me. She waited for me to speak. When I didn't say anything, she decided to speak up.

"So," she said. "Will you help me?"

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. The children are just like her. What does she mean just like her? Are they telepaths as well? Are their gifts different than hers? Were they as powerful as she is? Do they have only minimal capabilities? Is she training them on how to use their gifts? Is she the true protector of the children? Is that why they won't go to any other therapist?

"Eric, did you hear me?"

I looked down at her. "No, lover," I answered. "Forgive me. What did you say?"

"Will you help me to keep them protected? I can't do this without you. I've called Amelia and she's going to ward each child's house for me; her and Octavia but only you can help me with keeping them from bodily harm. You're the only one that can help me to protect their secrets. I can't trust anyone else to know the truth about my children …not even Amelia. So, will you help me?"

"You need only ask my lover. Whatever you want, I will give to you. How many are there?"

"I've only eight children that are under my care." She swallowed hard before she spoke again. "And what I'm about to tell you has to do with one of my children and there may be times when I don't tell you about their parents or meetings with their parents."

My body stiffened.

"But know, baby," she said. "The meetings are nothing more than that. As you know I told you that I had a meeting with one of the parents tonight. What I didn't tell you is who that parent was."

From the look on her face, I was not going to like where this was going.

She gripped my hand in hers and smiled up at me. "Do you remember that night we went to New Orleans and I was talking to with one of the parents?"

I nodded …stiffly.

"Well, I met with that parent. I had to meet with Remy. He's the father of one of my children."

As stiffly as I could, I asked, "Is that the same man that asked you out for a date when we were out on a date?"

Sookie looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. "Oh, do you mean the night that you took me out and ignored me most of the ride back to your house at the end our date? Is that the night you're speaking about?"

I sat in silence. As far as I was concerned, she was speaking nonsense. I was very capable of handling business and keeping my mind on her.

"Come on, baby," Sookie said as she cooed and batted those baby blues. "Don't be mad. It was just a meeting over dinner. It was nothing more than that. I swear."

Those eyes, those damned eyes always melted my cold, dead heart. I melted as I looked into them. She has me perfectly wrapped around that beautiful little finger.

"Good," she said as she leaned in and kissed me. "My point in telling you this is that vampires have been going to his house and watching his son. Remy's boy is special like me …sort of. He can only read but he doesn't read to himself. He reads aloud without thinking but he is just a child." She was helping me read through the lines without saying too much.

"I'll put out an order for any and all vampires to stay away from children. All children," I offered.

Placing her hand on my arm, she said, "Only until Amelia can put wards on their house." She leaned over and kissed me, "You are so great. Thank you so much, baby."

Not being able to get over the fact that this Remy wants my wife, I decided that I may have to pay him a visit; quietly and without Sookie finding out about it. "Did he try to …make a pass at you again, my lover?"

"Oh, Eric," she said, never answering my question.

"I take it that he did."

Sookie suddenly sat up and looked in the direction of the door. I followed her eyes but no one was there. Anger and contempt filled the bond. The mood in the room suddenly shifted and she'd put every vampire that was present on alert. Each vampire in the room looked at Sookie and then followed her eyes to the door.

"Eric, call Pam, Thalia, and Indira and tell them _NOT_ to come back to the bar."

I looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Baby, you have to get everyone out of this bar …now," she said as calmly as possible.

Without hesitation, I did as she said. I'd never seen her like this before. "What's happening, Sookie?"

She never answered me. Instead she stood up and addressed the patrons of the bar. "Hi, everyone. My name is Sookie Northman," she said. "As you all know, my husband, Eric Northman, owns this bar and we appreciate your patronage. We truly do but tonight, the bar is closing early."

There were grumbles from everyone. Sookie ignored them.

Nodding her head and giving the patrons a small and pitiful look, she said, "I know. I know. We don't want you to leave but you have to and you all must leave in an orderly fashion."

They all looked at her but didn't move. A couple of them had the audacity to fan her off as if she hadn't spoken to them but when the wind began to swirl around her and her baby blues were almost electrifying, I could see the fear in their eyes. The humans slowly stood up from their seats and turned towards my wife. They gave her their undivided attention.

"When you leave here, do not leave in a panic. Walk out as you normally would. Talk about the great time that you've had tonight. Talk about the great service and how wonderful the vampires treated you here. And please, come again."

Her voice was soothing and calm. The fear was suddenly gone from their faces. As the humans left the bar, they were laughing and smiling. I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. My wife had glamored an entire room with her voice. She smiled and thanked each patron for coming. Each human was happier leaving than they were when they'd first arrived.

When they were gone, Sookie was no longer smiling. She was no longer that same soothing and calming creature from only five seconds ago. My wife stood stock still in the middle of the bar and stared at the empty doorway.

I, Maxwell Lee, and Heidi stood with her and looked at the nothing that she was staring at. Even the unknown vampires stood with us and stared at the door. Our fangs were drawn and we were ready to fight.

"Who's here, Sookie?" I asked her.

"BVA," she said. "They're armed. They're pulling onto the road leading here now. They have people in the woods but I can handle them." She looked at each of us, even the unknown vampires and said, "Do not leave this building. They're here to capture and kill. We will not be captured and we will not be killed if you all listen to me."

Looking at the door again, she said, "They're going to try to take as many vampires as they can and use them to scare the public but they'll settle for just one of us. They will use that one to feed on a human and they are going to tape it. It will look as if the vampire has attacked the human. And then they will kill the vampire on TV. But we will not give them the satisfaction. Some of you will die tonight," she said sadly. "And for that, I am sorry but we can't run. We will stay here and fight."

One of the stray vampires looked at her and asked, ""Why should we listen to you? You're a fucking …"

Before he could finish his sentence, I had him by his throat. "She is my queen. She is my wife. That is why you should listen to her. If you do not die tonight during battle, I will kill you for your disrespect when it's over.

Dropping him to the floor, I turned my attention back to Sookie. "Are they ready?"

"Yeah," she said absently. "They just pulled into the parking lot. Tonight, Eric, we will show them what we are made of. We can't let any of them leave here alive. Everyone, stay focused on what you are doing. Don't worry about the vampire standing with you. Your only concern is you … for now. They will kill you as soon as you turn your back. Turn off the lights and scatter about," she ordered. "They can't see us in the dark."

Heidi turned off the lights and vampires silently did as their queen ordered. Sookie and I stayed together. Smiling, Sookie said, "You are my warrior, my protector, my Viking. This night belongs to us."

I looked at the door and there they were. Sookie and I smiled at each other and then at the door.

It began to splinter and the smell of the liquid silver filled the room with each blow. Sookie's posture took on her fighting stance. It was beautiful. Her body was vibrating and her energy filled the room. She looked absolutely magnificent.

It never occurred to me to send her home or to tell her that she could not fight or that she wasn't needed. Her determination and loyalty made me think of the night she fought with me, Bill, and the now dead Clancy against the fae, her people. She couldn't even stand but was determined to not die lying in a bed. She was determined to stay loyal and true to me and to Bill to the very end. She even fought for the Were Trey.

No, it never occurred to me to send her home. I stood tall and proud at my lover's side. This was just as much as her fight as it was mine. We are one and we will live, love, fight, and die as one. This was right. This was perfect.

"Keep the woman alive. She can lead us to the Burner," Sookie advised. Sookie's delicate yet deviant and deceptive laughed filled the bar.

I'd never loved her more.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all have enjoyed. I should have another chapter posted next week.**


	57. Chapter 57

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 57**

**I want to apologize to you all for the delay but I have been going thru a grieving period. By best friend in the entire world has moved away from me and it is the absolute hardest thing in the world that I've ever had to go through. For over nineteen years we have been together and now she's gone. As I said in my other Fanfic I want you all to know that I will try to make it up to you by posting as many chapters as I can within a week. The blubbering that I have been doing has made it hard to write but I'm getting back into my flow. Thanks again for sticking with me and the story.**

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><p>The door began to splinter and the smell of the liquid silver filled the room with each blow. Sookie's posture took on her fighting stance. It was beautiful. Her body was vibrating and her energy filled the room. She looked absolutely magnificent.<p>

It never occurred to me to send her home or to tell her that she could not fight or that she wasn't needed. Her determination and loyalty made me think of the night she fought with me, Bill, and the now dead Clancy against the fae, her people. She couldn't even stand but was determined to not die lying in a bed. She was determined to stay loyal and true to me and to Bill to the very end. She even fought for the Were Trey.

No, it never occurred to me to send her home. I stood tall and proud at my lover's side. This was just as much as her fight as it was mine. We are one and we will live, love, fight, and die as one. This was right. This was perfect.

"Keep the woman alive. She can lead us to the Burner," Sookie advised. Sookie's delicate yet deviant and deceptive laughed filled the bar.

I'd never loved her more.

As Sookie pulled her hair up into a ponytail she reminded the others to stay hidden and to not go outside. "There is a reason for everything and the reason for this will soon reveal itself. Stay inside of this bar."

They each acknowledged her with a nod.

Once she'd pulled her hair up, she tilted her head back and exposed her neck to me. "Feed from me and don't heal the bite marks. Don't get all excited," she warned me. "This is not a sexual thing, baby. I have to let them know that I'm yours. They won't believe me if they don't see the bite marks. They already think that you've glamored your human lover into being yours."

There was no need for Sookie to give me an explanation. I would have done it without her adding the extra. My fangs sank into my lover's neck and her life force filled me. She wrapped her arms around me and held onto me as I tasted her. My entire body was buzzing from that one taste of faery blood. It was the sweetest of nectars. It felt as though I was aware of everything and everyone around me. I could almost see what was going to happen before it happened. And with that one taste, I knew that we could handle whatever the BVA brought out way.

Once I was done, she reluctantly took her arms from around my neck and stood stock still as if nothing had just happened. Maybe I should have told her not to get all excited.

"You're welcome," she said as she playfully bumped his hip with hers; keeping her eyes on the door.

"No, lover," I replied. "You're welcome."

Her sweet giggles filled the air.

As Sookie and I stood side by side, the BVA members came into the bar through the splintered and destroyed door. The light from the parking lot followed them in. Each member was dressed as if he was going off to war; camouflaged fatigues and army boots. Government men were always prepared …or so they thought. They were armed to the teeth with vampire killing machines; silver axes, silver spray, silver and wooden bullet filled guns.

"Stay close to me, Eric. They want you. They have another thing coming if they think that's going to happen. They'll have to leave with both of us."

"Then let them come."

When six of the men entered the club, two stood to the right, two stood to the left, and two stood behind the head honcho. He, however, was not dressed in fatigues and army boots. He was wearing a suit and tie. He must have been the brains behind their little faction. He looked Sookie up and down. He seemed to like what he saw until he saw the bite marks on her neck. Then he looked at her with repugnance in his eyes and shook his head. Then he turned his sights to me.

"Are you Eric Northman?" the man asked.

"I am," I answered.

The man stepped forward and said, "You need to come with us."

Sookie grabbed my hand and said, "He's not going anywhere with you."

He looked at Sookie and gave her the most disgusted look. "And who are you?"

She ignored his question. "First we would like to thank you all for coming to Fangtasia but we don't seem to understand the reason for your rude entrance to our fine establishment." Sookie used her arm in a sweeping motion to make sure that he knew what fine establishment she was speaking of.

"This bar is owned by a vampire and we took the proper precautions. We need for Mr. Northman to come …," he started to say.

Her sweet southern voice interrupted him. "There was no reason for you to enter this bar in the way that you did. You were in no danger. And if you don't mind me saying so, you are in no position to ask questions. Who are you; if I may ask?"

"I didn't come here to answer …"

Sweetly and innocently, Sookie cut him off yet again. "But you did come here and not with good intentions."

Sookie released my hand and began to walk slowly in his direction. When she reached him, she offered him her hand. "Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse. What's your name?" Sookie was as well-mannered and just as gracious as she usually is.

The man stared at Sookie's hand as if it were riddled with disease. So instead of taking her hand, he crossed his arms behind his back and stared at her in her face. "I'm not here for pleasantries Miss. Stackhouse. I'm here to take Eric Northman with me."

He looked at me once more and said, "We have come for Mr. Northman."

"He's not going anywhere with you. Since you don't want to answer my questions we're not going to answer yours. But I'll tell you what. Let _me_ tell _you_ why you're here."

Sookie reached behind him and grabbed his hand and held onto it. When she did that, one of the army men readied himself to approach Sookie but as quick as he thought he was, Maxwell Lee was quicker. The BVA members only saw a blur come from the darkness and the man's dead body hit the floor with his neck slit from ear to ear. It was barely being held into place by a sliver of bone. I understood now why Sookie said to keep the lights off.

The BVA members looked around to see were the attack came from but saw nothing. They couldn't fire because they didn't know who or what they would be shooting at. In the end, they were too afraid to move. Their eyes darted from left to right, from corner to corner. Not knowing what to do next. As I stated before, they _thought_ that they were prepared.

Sookie looked at the dead man and laughed. "I guess he'll know better next time. Anyway, you came here in hopes of finding vampires feeding on humans. And because this bar just so happens to belong to a vampire, you came here to take him; even if what you claim to see is a lie but that didn't happen. When you arrived you saw that there were no humans here. And since you couldn't catch him doing anything wrong, you've decided to be sneaky and underhanded.

"When you pulled into the parking lot and you saw no cars, you just knew that you were screwed. So, you decided to try another way of setting him up. A dead body here, a dead body there; you and the BVA were going to use him as an example to other vampires. Am I right so far, Mr. Edwards?"

The man was beyond stunned. "How do you know …?"

Staring deeply into his eyes, she said, "It didn't work before and it's not going to work now."

He was struggling to take his hand from Sookie but she had a vice grip on him. Mr. Edwards' heart was in his throat and pounding fiercely against his tongue. His mouth had gone dry. His perfectly combed hair was now sticking to his for sweaty forehead. He'd almost fainted dead away.

"Are you okay, Mr. Edwards? Or should I call you Glenn? Nah …I'll stick with Mr. Edwards. You're not here for pleasantries. Do you mind if I finish telling you why you're here? It won't take long."

He continued to shake. His henchmen were too afraid to move because of what happened to their fellow man. They were also afraid of Sookie.

"Since you didn't have any dead bodies on hand, you'd decided on another plan of action. You thought that you were going to take Eric as your prisoner. Your plan was to lock him away in a little room and starve him for a long period of time. You were going to throw a helpless and pitiful little woman in there with him. You were going to make it look as if he attacked her. It was going to be a great publicity stunt. He was going to kill this woman for food and sex and y'all would have proof of how dangerous vampires really are." Looking directly into his eyes she said, "It's a shame that it won't happen."

With his voice filled with fear, Mr. Edwards asked, "How do you know all of this? What are you? Are you a spy? Do you have a spy hidden in our facilities? There is no way that you should know this."

"I'm a woman; a small, helpless woman that just so happens to know things. I know that little room that you'd planned on putting Eric in has several small little cameras hidden in it. I know that you plan on televising the attack of the woman. You all planned on making it look like he attacked her out of animal instinct. The worst part of it all is that you planned on taking him away from me."

Sookie's gripped tightened on the man's hand. He screamed out in pain as he dropped to his knees. "You're breaking my hand!" he cried out.

Suddenly Sookie's voice and demeanor changed. She was no longer the same sweet southern lady that greeted our enemies when they first walked through the splintered doors of Fangtasia. The faery in her was showing through.

"It's not going to matter anyway. It's nothing compared to what's going to happen to you."

When Sookie said that, the men that came with Mr. Edwards were no longer afraid; their courage back to the in full force. They were ready for battle and had turned their guns on Sookie.

One of them said, "You may not be a vampire, bitch, but I will put a bullet in your fucking head. Let him go, now!"

Within seconds, I'd beheaded each of the men that were with Mr. Edwards. Weapons dropped onto the floor with a thud and a clank.

"Thanks, baby," Sookie said as she gave me another peck on my cheek once I'd returned to her side.

Turning back to Mr. Edwards, she said, "Normally, I would be able to see more but you've blocked me out. Your fear is in the way but don't worry. I know enough. I know that you want us to run out there to be ambushed but we're not as stupid as you expect us to be. Come on and let me see where they are. You're not playing fair Mr. Edwards. Where are the others that came with you?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

Sookie began to pout.

"Fuck this," one of the unknown vampires said. "We'll find them." He motioned for his fellow vampire to go with him and out of the door they went.

Just as Sookie dropped Mr. Edwards', the unknown vampires ran outside. Sookie warned them not go leave the safety of the club but they didn't listen to her. She didn't bother to try and stop them either. She let them meet their end. The last sounds that we heard from them were the sounds of their bodies exploding into goo. For a second, Sookie almost looked sad for them. That was until Mr. Edwards interrupted her with his voice.

"Fuck you, vamp humper."

"I'm sorry but I'm a married woman." Pointing at me, Sookie said, "Eric Northman is my husband. I'm off the market."

Sookie stooped down in front of Mr. Edwards and placed her hands on his face and looked into his eyes. From the look on his face, she was inside of his head. He tried turning his head away from her but he couldn't. When she'd gotten what she wanted from him, she stood up and looked down at the contemptible creature and shook her head.

"He doesn't even know why he's doing this, Eric. He's weak minded and ignorant. He's not even sure if he's afraid of vampires or any of the other supernaturals. You may want to tell Mustapha that they have some Weres in captivity."

Still looking down at our enemy, Sookie sighed and said, "Maxwell Lee and Heidi, you need to go out the back way. There are four men sitting in the trees directly across the street from the bar. The woman that we need is in the back seat of the black Yukon that's sitting in the Toys 'R Us parking lot. She's been here before. She volunteered for the mission because she's always wanted you, Eric. Even if she has to die to get you, she wants you. She was going to be the woman that was brought to you in your little jail cell. Bring her inside, will you?" she asked her vampires.

The vampires blurred from the front of the bar and went to the back of the bar and did as Sookie asked.

Mr. Edwards looked at Sookie with disgust and full on contempt. "How can you betray your own kind for a fucking vampire? And you married it? You married a deader? He's fucking dead! They can't love! They can't feel! They're soulless and godless creatures. They're fucking leeches! You're no more than a fuck and a meal to him," the soon to be dead man said to my wife.

Before I could kill him, Sookie placed her hand on my arm. I looked at her face and her eyes instantly changed. Sookie wasn't the same woman from seconds ago. Her skin had an effervescent glow. The air around her changed. Her power filled the air. She leaned down and looked him in his eyes.

"You don't know my kind. My kind is vicious and cruel … even more vicious than the vampires that you fear. If I were anything like my great-grandfather, you all would have died as soon as you entered this place. So you have no idea what my kind is like but I will tell you this. I have come a very long way in order to find him and Eric is mine. He does love and he does feel …for me. So if you think that I'm going to let you have him, you're sorely mistaken, Mr. Edwards. You'll die first."

Watching her made me very proud. How I wish that I hadn't had to lose her for her to be as strong as she is now. I would have given everything, done anything to save her from her hurtful past since meeting the vampires. I would have given everything, done anything to save her from the many vampires that wanted to use her …to kill her. I would have given everything, done anything to save her from the faeries, Lochlan and Neave, when they captured and tortured her. They did their best to break her spirit and destroy her soul. Sadly, they almost succeeded. But to see her now, one would never guess that she had ever suffered such pains. Her spirit astounds me. For such a young woman to be so strong and so fearless is astounding to me. She's braver than any vampire …any faery …any man. And she's mine.

But when I looked deeper into her eyes, something inside of her softened; seemed almost confused but she shook it away and continued speaking with the man.

"You question whether or not he can love … if he has feelings?" Sookie stood upright and looked down at the man. "You're a human and you mistreat your own kind … co-workers, friends, and your wife."

He looked surprised at the words she'd just spoken.

"You have affairs and you abuse her. And you question whether or not he has soul? You have one and you're more soulless and godless than anyone I've ever encountered. You call him the vampire …the leech. You've sucked all of the life from your wife, yet you consider yourself a man. You use her family name to further your career. You're the leech."

What happened next was a punishment worse than death. The soon to be dead man spit in my wife's face. With the quickness of the oldest vampire, I snatched his tongue from his mouth. Blood ran from his mouth in droves; falling through the spaces of his fingers as his hands covered his mouth.

"You will die, my friend but not quickly," I warned him. "I promise."

I grabbed the man by the back of his neck and proceeded to carry him to the dungeon. Once I had him shackled to the wall, I forced his mouth open. I bit into my finger and healed his wound.

"I don't want you bleeding to death before I come back. By the time I'm done with you, you will beg for death. Unfortunately, it will not come easy." When I headed upstairs to return to my lover's side, all that I could hear was the man screaming as I closed the door behind me.

When I returned to Sookie, Maxwell Lee and Heidi were with her and so was the helpless lady that Sookie spoke of before. When I looked at her, I immediately recognized her. She looked as she did the first time I saw her. Only this time she was cleaner. If you can call it clean; disheveled, bottle colored red hair, lipstick around her lips instead of on them, and a multitude of bite marks on her neck. She was the woman that had insulted Sookie on the night of her return. I was going to kill her but Pam stopped me. I never should have let her go.

"I know who you are," I said to her.

She tried to smile seductively at me. "I knew that you would remember me! I just knew it. When they said that they needed help getting the big blond vampire that owns the bar in Shreveport, I said that I would do it. I knew that we had made a connection. I could feel the chemistry between us. It was electric." When she said that, she looked at Sookie. Her breath reeked of cigarettes and old meat. She was beyond disgusting. She didn't stand a chance of making any sort of connection with me.

"There was no connection then and there is no connection now," I said to her. There was no way I'd waste my time with her. The woman was just as disgusting now as she was then.

The smile suddenly faded from her eyes and her decaying face. She looked at Sookie and asked, "It's because of that bitch ain't it? It's because of her. She ain't no better than I am. She ain't so special."

Sookie only smiled.

"What you smiling at?" she asked.

"Eric, her name is Arlene Fowler."

Arlene Fowler.

I never gave the woman much thought when I used to go to Merlotte's to see Sookie. I never gave any of the waitresses a second glance but the name; I remember the name. She was the barmaid that used to work for Merlotte. She tried to kill my lover. Pam didn't have many nice things to say about Arlene. She said that Arlene was no more than a loser; a waste of blood but not Sookie. She tried to see the good in everyone.

Sookie used to believe that the waitress was her friend. She used Sookie for all that she could. Her former lover Rene' Lenier killed Sookie's Gran and then tried to kill Sookie. Over time, their friendship deteriorated. When Sookie began to surround herself with the supernaturals and only date vampires, Arlene was no longer her friend. She took to hanging out with members of the FotSs. Obviously, that has changed. She has been here several times and has let vampire after vampire feed from her.

Why was she here? Sookie soon answered my question.

"She used to hate vampires but for some reason now, she can't get enough of them. The FotSs members cut her loose after she tried to kill someone in the name of the Fellowship. They didn't want to be associated with her. Now, she's nothing more than a fangbanger to them. She hates me," she said with a smile.

"She was thinking nasty thoughts of me the first night I came into the bar. I told her that you were mine. She really hated that. Anyway, she's not all dye and boobs. She knows a lot about the FotSs. She knows that the Burner is staying with Steve Newlin. They'll be in Alexandria in a couple of days." Sookie started laughing. "They're supposed to capture as many vampires and other supes as they can and use them to make the public fearful of their safety. They actually think that their plan is going to work. They even have pictures that they plan on publishing."

Then something happened that I didn't expect. Sookie saw something in the woman's head that she never expected to see. Sookie stood up so quickly that she almost tumbled backwards but she said nothing. She looked up at me and her eyes were filled with pain.

"What did you see?" I asked her but she didn't answer. She returned her attentions back to Arlene.

"You ain't so smart." Arlene said as she looked directly into Sookie's eyes. "The first night I saw you, I wanted to destroy you. I remember how you used to be so in love with him." She pointed at me with her head. "I wanted to tell you that you were going to get what's coming to you but I decided to wait it out. I thought that if I could fuck him and get him killed then I could destroy you the way that you destroyed me."

Sookie looked pained as she responded to Arlene's comment. "You must have me mistaken for someone else. I don't know you."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Arlene said.

I had to stop this. I couldn't allow her to destroy all that Sookie has worked for …has sacrificed for. Then I remembered Niall's words.

"_Northman, that is why you have to let things happen as they happen. You can't do things the way that you're doing them. You can't shelter her. If you do, you will lose her and everything that she died for will be no more."_

He also said that the relationships that were fraught with pain and selfishness would be forgotten by Sookie and her so called friends. So how does Arlene remember?

"You will not speak ill of my wife. One more word and you will die."

"No, Eric. Let her speak. I want to hear this."

"Sookie, she is evil. She is only trying to hurt you." I was trying my best to protect her but she wouldn't let me.

"I want to hear this," she whispered.

Arlene continued without missing a beat. "You always thought that you were so special because you can do this." Arlene started tapping herself on the side of her head with her finger. "Well, you ain't. Remember telling me that I ain't nothing? Remember telling me that I'm no more than trash and that's all I'll ever be? You told me that I was looking for a daddy for my kids and trying to be younger than I really am and I wouldn't be any more than I already was. You said that I won't no better than the supes. I remember all of that. Well you ain't no more special 'n me. You ain't no more than a barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse."

No one was supposed to remember her. No one from Bon Temps was supposed to know who she is. How can this woman remember Sookie? Niall said that he wiped them all from Sookie's memory and wiped any memory of her from the town of Bon Temps. Arlene's from Bon Temps and she remembers Sookie.

Looking at me with desperation in her eyes, Sookie asked, "What does she mean, Eric? Why is she saying these things?" Sookie then looked at Arlene and said, "I'm not a barmaid and I never did those things to you. I never said those things to you. I don't know you."

"Liar!" Arlene yelled as she began to cry. "You're the reason my children were taken from me. It's your fault that my life has turned out the way that it has. Rene should've killed you instead of Adele. No, I'll do you one better. I should've killed you when I had the chance. I hate you, Sookie."

Sookie's face went pale. All of the life drained from her eyes. "My grandmother died of a heart attack …" Sookie whispered.

"Bullshit. She died because of you and all of Bon Temps knows it. She died because you were too busy fucking vampires."

Sookie's hand went to her chest and she dropped to her knees. The pain that flowed through her was heartbreaking and soul shattering. My lover cried as I'd never seen her cry before. I kneeled down beside her and cradled her in my arms.

"No," she said over and over again. "Gran died because of a heart attack." She looked up at me with pleading eyes. "She didn't die because of me."

I kissed her head and said, "No, lover. She did not die because of you."

Arlene was smiling. Her eyes were no longer lifeless and sad. Her face was a bright as I'd ever seen it. She'd destroyed Sookie just as she'd wanted.

Heidi punched Arlene in the mouth; thus breaking her neck and killing her instantly. She looked from Maxwell Lee to me and then at Sookie. Heidi didn't know what to do. She didn't know whether to fall down beside Sookie and hold her or stand there. She decided to speak instead.

"She's mistaken you for someone else," Heidi said. "You can't listen to her. She's a drunk and she's a fangbanger. She's probably low on blood and her mind is not right." Using her elbow to nudge Maxwell Lee, she said, "Isn't that right?"

"Y-y-yes," he stammered.

With tears streaming down her face, Sookie looked at them and then at me. She was no longer wailing. She was thinking and she was thinking hard. Her eyes traveled from face to face. Her feelings were going through her so fast that I couldn't keep up.

Still sitting on the floor, she looked at each of us and shook her head. "It all makes sense to me now. You all remembered me when you first met me. You, Maxwell Lee, couldn't believe that I was here. Why didn't I see it before? I should've known by the way you all were looking at me. And Heidi, you said that you thought that I was what … dead? You never finished the sentence because of the way Eric looked at you but I know that is what you were going to say. And Eric; you know what Arlene said is true, don't you?"

I didn't know what to say to her but I had to tell her the truth. She deserves to know the truth. "We couldn't tell you," I explained. "We had no way of knowing what you knew or what you didn't know. We didn't know what was going on with you when you returned to us. We were waiting for you to remember who you are. You had to regain your memories on your own. It wasn't our place to tell you what …"

"It wasn't your place?" she interrupted. "You're my husband, Eric. You're my husband. If it was anyone's place to tell me, it was yours. Where was I for those five years you said that you missed me … that I was missing you, dreaming of you? Who was I with? What did I do? Why did I say to Mr. Edwards that he doesn't know my kind? I don't even know who my kind is."

When I answered none of her questions, she studied my face for a long minute and a look of surprise took up ownership of her face. "But you do."

As I stood up from the floor, I offered her my hand. "Those are answers that I cannot give because I do not know what you did."

She took my hand without question and stood before me. "But you know who I was with and where I was?"

"Yes."

"But you won't tell me?"

I didn't know what to say. I had no answers to give to her. There was but one response that I could give. "You'll have to ask your grandfather."

"But he's dead. He died after I graduated from college."

Maxwell Lee and Heidi dropped their eyes to the floor when she looked at them. I continued to look at my lover.

"He's not dead?" she asked.

"He is not."

"What?" she asked in the weakest voice.

"You've seen him. He was in New Orleans the night that you, Pam and Amelia went out. He was in our home. He was the man called Fintan."

Sookie couldn't believe what I'd just told her. Her mouth fell open and her eyes welled with tears. Hurt and contempt filled the bond.

"Is my entire life a lie? Is everything that I believe that I am a lie? Oh, God. I'm not who I think I am! You all are supposed to be my friends. You've all led me to believe that I'm something that I'm not and my grandfather comes to me masked another being?"

The room fell silent.

Pointing at Arlene, Sookie said, "This dead woman tells me that I'm the reason that Gran is dead and yet, you tell me nothing? How can I trust you? How can I trust any of you?"

Sookie walked over to our table and grabbed her purse. From inside, she took her keys and headed towards the door.

Blurring in front of her so that I could stop her from leaving, I asked, "Where are you going?"

Sookie shook her head no. "I just need some space. I need to be alone right now."

"You are my wife. You can't leave."

Sookie cocked her head to the side and sighed. "I'm not leaving you, Eric. I'm your wife and I'll always be your wife but tonight, your wife needs time to be alone. Just let me go to my house. I need to think things through, okay? I promise; I'll come back. I'm not leaving you again."

After debating with myself on whether or not to let her go, I stepped to the side and watched as my wife walked to her car.

Once she was gone, I couldn't help but think that this was all Glenn Edwards' fault. If he had never come into my bar and brought that red haired menace back into our lives, this never would have happened. I would be at home in bed, making love to my wife. Since that wasn't going to happen tonight, someone was going to have to pay.

"Come Heidi and Maxwell. Let's go down to the dungeon and have some fun."

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you think? I hope that you all enjoyed it.**


	58. Chapter 58

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 58**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Thank you for making this story a favorite and for the alerts. You guys are absolutely fantastic. I know that I say this with every chapter that I post but with every chapter that I post, I mean it. Thank you.**

**The characters belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris. The only thing that I own is the story idea. This goes for any past, present and future chapters. I'm just playing make believe with them.**

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><p>"Oh Sookie, I'm so sorry. You'll be okay, okay? Look; you come and stay at my house. I'll meet you there as soon as I and Octavia are done here. We have only two more houses to ward and I'll be there with you. I promise," Amelia said. My best friend cried right along with me.<p>

Sniffling, I thanked her. "This is just so hard. I can't believe that he would deceive me like that. I can't believe that he kept something so big from me. It makes me wonder what else he could be hiding."

"Look, don't worry about that right now. When I get home, we'll sit down and eat cartons of Ben Jerry's Chunky Monkey and everything will be alright."

I didn't want to laugh but Amelia always has that effect on me. "Okay. And Amelia, I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you."

"I love you too. Now you get my house and take a nice long bath. Have the ice cream ready and waiting. And to make you feel even better, when you wake up in the morning I'll make you some of my world famous cinnamon and hazelnut French toast and extra crispy bacon. I'll even stop and buy some of that brown sugar and french vanilla coffee creamer that you like so much."

"Promise?" I asked in my sad little girl voice.

"Promise," she answered.

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"And Sookie?" she said.

"Yeah?"

In a small and sincere voice, Amelia said, "He does love you. I don't think that he would purposely do anything to hurt you. He's not like that, Sook. Maybe he's just as scared and as confused as you are." In an even smaller and more sincere voice, she added, "Maybe he couldn't say anything, ya know?"

I didn't know what to say because I wasn't feeling just right at that moment. "I'll see ya later, Amelia."

"Be safe and I'll see you in no time at all."

After hanging up with Amelia, I thought of how lucky I was to have met her in college. She has always been there when I've needed her …then it dawned on me. What if she was in on the plan to conspire against me? What if she knew just as much as Eric and my vampires knew about me and she didn't say anything?

I shook that absurd idea from my mind. She wouldn't do that. Too much had happened and I needed to clear my mind. Tonight's events were just too much for me to handle right now. All that I wanted to do was go home and soak in hot bath and sleep for the next three days but for some reason, the drive home was taking longer than usual. Normally, I would have been home by now but the road seemed longer somehow.

A lot longer

I looked around and nothing was as it should be. There was no Jack 'N the Box. There was no CVS or Wal-Greens. There was nothing that I'm used to seeing on my drive home. There were only trees …lots and lots of trees.

I was driving on a road that I'd never seen before. The weird thing was that I hadn't made any turns. I didn't stop at any stores. It was the same route that I always took when I was headed home from Fangtasia. It then dawned on me that this was just like the first time when I was supposed to be going to a place called Merlotte's and I ended up at Fangtasia. The road just appeared out of nowhere.

There was nothing there other than trees. No houses. No businesses. No shopping centers. There was nothing on the road but me. Any other woman would have been afraid but not me. I kept right on driving. To me, the road wasn't leading me to a scary place. For some reason, I knew that it was taking me to a familiar place. A place that I'd never been but it was familiar just the same. Several times I thought about turning around but I couldn't. Not that I didn't want to; I literally couldn't stop my car and turn around.

As I continued down the road, I passed a sign that read '_Tall Pines Cemetery_'. It was off of a narrow two lane parish road. It didn't surprise me that a cemetery would on be on a dark and deserted road. What did surprise me was the house that sat alone in a dark and deserted clearing. I made me sad to know that someone lived out here all alone. It looked so lonely; practically deserted.

So I continued to drive until I was able to turn off of the parish road and onto a long and rocky driveway. I drove a little more through some woods and then I was able to get a better view of the house.

Once parked, I got out of the car and stood out in the driveway and looked up at the house. It was a big yellow house with a tin roof. It looked like it had seen many good years and even a few bad ones but the good years won out. The house had a fresh coat of yellow paint. The shutters were painted a beautiful and glossy white. The front porch, which was the full length of the front of the house, looked brand new. The porch swing and the rocking chairs looked more than inviting. There were tulips and chrysanthemums lined along the porch. The paved walkway had two lamps on either side of it to lead the way to the house and to show off the beautiful flowers that decorated it.

My feet suddenly had minds of their own. I walked up the stairs and without bothering to knock, I went into the house. I had to stop and catch my breath when I entered the living room. It looked exactly like the living room that was in my family pictures at home sitting on my fireplace mantle. The couches and the recliners, the fireplace and the windows, the rugs and the curtains, the knickknacks and the photographs; everything was exactly like the family pictures in my Shreveport home.

Suddenly, I, Gran and Jason were sitting on the couch. Jason and I were resting our heads on Gran's shoulders. We were elementary school aged children. Jason's hair was a curly as ever and I was a towheaded tyke that was missing my two front teeth. Gran was reading us the story of '_The Giving Tree_'. We were asking questions; the same questions that we always asked when Gran read us the story of the most unselfish tree in the world and the most selfish little boy in the world. The scene lain out before me, melted my heart. We were a family.

When I took a step closer to where we were sitting, we were gone. The image of my family was gone. There was no storybook on the coffee table. There was no Gran, Jason, or me. There was nothing but an empty living room.

"Gran?" I whispered.

She didn't answer.

"Jason?" I called out.

Again, there was no answer.

While I stood in the living room and looked around, I noticed that a light came on in the next room. I should've been startled but I wasn't. If I was anything I was curious and as always, my curiosity got the best of me. I went to look into the room and there she was.

Adele Hale Stackhouse was propped up in her full sized high poster bed. There were several pillows that were being used to prop her up. She was wearing a long sleeved floral, flannel night gown. She had just turned on her bedside lamp and she was about to start reading a book by her favorite author, Danielle Steele but then she noticed me.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said. Gran took off her glasses as she smiled at me. "It's good to see you."

The last image didn't see me. Maybe there was another image of another Sookie somewhere around. So I looked behind me and around me to see who she was speaking to. No one was there but me.

"I'm speaking to you, silly girl." Patting the bed beside her, she said, "Sit with me."

I went to my Gran's bed and sat down. My mouth was wide open.

"Close your mouth, sweetie. You're catching flies."

I quickly closed my mouth and reached over to touch her. This time she didn't vanish. She was really there. Her skin was warm and her smile was real. She was really with me. Tears instantly began to fall from my eyes.

"Is it really you?"

"Child, who else would it be?"

Before I knew it, I'd thrown my arms around her neck and cried like a newborn baby. Gran rocked me back and forth and stroked my hair. Just as she used to do when I had a bad day in school or if Jason and I had been in a fight, she eased my pain.

"Hush now, child. Don't cry. You're wasting tears. Use them for something else."

I sat back and started laughing as I wiped the tears off of my face with the back of my hand.

"You know better," Gran said. Reaching for the Kleenex on her nightstand, Gran handed me a tissue so that I could wipe my nose.

"Thank you," I whispered as I peered at her through teary eyes.

"Now, tell Gran what's wrong."

"Everything," I answered. "My life's a mess. It's missing something, Gran. I don't know who or what I am. I don't know why I can't remember. I barely remember you or Jason. What's happening to me? Am I running from something? If I am, I don't know what I'm supposed to be running from. Gran, I'm tired of running and getting nowhere. I'm so tired."

Pinching my cheek like she used to do, Gran smiled at me and shook her head. When she folded her hands in front of her and rested them on her lap, I knew that I was going to get one of her life lessons. And boy, did I need it.

"You can't run from your past, Sookie. No matter what you do, it always finds its way back home. I remember how your granddaddy Earl used to do whatever he could to forget the bad things in his life. He would pretend that they never happened. He would pretend that they happened to someone else. That's what he always did." Gran began shaking her head.

"When his father died, he pretended that it was someone else. He didn't even go to the funeral. He went so far as to pretend that he never knew his daddy. He even told people that he was orphaned at a young age. No one ever said anything because they were used to him not facing up to reality. He never wanted to face what life really was; just like you. Everything that we go through, Sookie, we go through for a reason. Our life experiences, be it good or bad, they shape who we are and who we are to become." Squeezing my hand, she asked, "Do you understand?"

"I do, Gran, but why would I be running from my past? Why would I be running from anything? My memory is gone, Gran. Was I that bad of a person that I can't face who I was? Was I ashamed of whom I was? What's wrong with me? Why can't I be happy just like everyone else? Why is it that something always happens that takes away my happiness?"

I needed to know this. I needed to know why my memories aren't what they should be. Why did I have some memories that I remembered clearly and others that were choppy and made no sense?

"Stop that silly talk," Gran ordered. "There's only one person that can take away your happiness; you. Sweetie, you were always concerned with what others thought of you. When you looked in the mirror at yourself, you based yourself image off of what they saw. You were ashamed of what you could do because you didn't want to be different. Beloved, our differences make us special. We're not all supposed to be alike. If we were, what would be the point? This would be a boring world."

Gently taking my face in her hands, Gran said, "We've all been ashamed of ourselves or things that we've done at one time or another. That's life. We've all done things that we regret. But some of the things we've had to do were essential for our own happiness and well being. Look at me and Fintan. I wanted children so desperately and I never wanted to hurt your granddaddy but I did what I did and I can't take it back. I wouldn't take it back. I wouldn't change it for anything in this world because I wouldn't have had your daddy or your aunt. And I wouldn't have you or Jason."

What did she mean like Fintan? Oh my goodness ...did Gran cheat on granddaddy? Oh my stars; Gran has a past! Before I could ask her, she kept on talking.

"We all want to be happy, Sookie but you can't have happiness without being secure with you. You have to love yourself and everything that's a part of you; whether it's good or bad. You can't be happy if you can't accept your past. You can't readily throw your past away. You end up losing who you really are and every ounce of extra that makes you special."

Gran shook her head and began to laugh at me. "You've always been a runner, baby girl. It's time for you to stop running and face who and what you are. That's where true happiness lies, Sookie … in you. Now do your old Gran a favor and get me a glass of water."

Gran put her glasses back on and started reading her book.

"Gran, who's ...?"

"In time sweetie; in time," she said with a wink.

"I love you, Gran."

"I know, my child. Now go and get my water before I die of thirst."

Jumping up from the bed, I kissed Gran and hugged her neck. She had the sweetest smell. I never remembered her smelling quite that sweet but it was soothing and it felt like home. The warmth of her cheek made me happy.

"Okay," I said as I stood upright. "I'll be right back."

I took off running across the hall and I knew exactly where the kitchen was. I opened the cabinet and knew exactly where the glasses were. Smiling, I knew that I was home. Then I turned around to go the fridge to get her water. And there she was. She was just laying her bed. Now she was lying on the floor in front of the fridge. She hadn't tripped and fallen. She hadn't fainted. She was dead.

Gran was lying in a pool of blood. She had been stabbed over and over again. Her eyes were opened and her head was resting on her arm while her other arm was lain out in front of her. She was looking right at me. My eyes had to have been playing tricks on me because she began to blink.

She blinked at me.

Her mouth began to move.

Gran was speaking me.

"Now, don't you go blaming yourself for what happened to me, Sookie. This was not your fault. A crazy man that hated vampires and the women that dated vampires did this to me. Not you."

I dropped down on my knees and I let the tears fall. I brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and I stared at her. "How can you say that, Gran? If I hadn't been dating a vampire, you wouldn't have been murdered. I should've been here with you and this wouldn't have happened. You wouldn't be dead. You'd be here with me. I could've saved you."

Still lying in the pool of blood, Gran used her free hand to caress my cheek and wipe the tears from it. She started laughing. "You're still my stubborn southern belle. If you had been here, we would both be lying out back in the cemetery. Let me ask you a question, sweetheart. Are you responsible for the deaths of the other girls that Rene' murdered? They were dating vampires. His sister was dating a vampire. Dawn and Maudette dated vampires. Is it your fault that they're dead? Think about it, child. I want you to really think about it."

I thought about every word that she said and she was right. I had nothing to do with the vampires that the other girls dated. I didn't know them. They weren't my friends. They were just as innocent as Gran and I were. They didn't deserve to die and I didn't kill them. But Gran; I looked at my grandma lying on the floor and my heart ached.

"You shouldn't be killed because of who you fall in love with or who you decide you want to spend the night with; though I don't condone one night stands. It's no more your fault than it is mine or theirs."

She was right. It wasn't our fault. We weren't to blame. I didn't kill Gran and I didn't kill those other girls. I am in love with a vampire. I've always been in love with a vampire and I'm not going to apologize for it. I love Eric Northman and I'm not ashamed of loving him.

"Do you love him?"

Nodding, I said, "I do. I love him very much. I've never loved anyone more." I was suddenly filled with more love than I've ever known.

Gently stroking my face, Gran said, "Then go back to him AFTER you accept yourself. How can you let him love you when he's not loving the real you? He does not love all of you if he doesn't know the real you. Don't throw it away, my beloved. The vampire loves you. He always has."

That was the second time Gran called me her beloved. Though it was new, it felt good to hear. "Are you proud of me? Are you proud of what I've become …who I am?" I whispered.

Gran laughed her familiar laugh once more. "Oh, Sookie, I've always been proud of you. You've done what you have to do to survive. You haven't done anything that no one else would have done. I raised you and Jason to protect yourselves and the ones that you love. Never think that you're a blemish on the Stackhouse name. You're not a bad person. You're a wonderful person. You're my favorite person."

Gran's hand fell back onto the floor in front of her; though I could still feel the memorable warmth touch of her hand. "I love you, Sookie. You'll be fine. You'll be just fine."

And just like that, she was gone. There was no blood. No murder. No guilt. No Gran.

"I love you," I whispered to the kitchen floor. I wiped the tears from my face and basked in Gran's sage words and advice.

I sat down on the kitchen floor and took in my surroundings. I saw a table; different than the one that was in the kitchen now. Many things had happened in that kitchen and at that table.

I remember the day that we'd found out that Maudette Pickens had been murdered. My Gran was murdered in this kitchen. I remember the ugly thoughts of the deputy and the sheriff when they came to our house when Gran was murdered. I remember killing Debbie Pelt in this kitchen. She tried to kill me and Eric jumped in front of the bullet for me. She shoot him in the chest; a shot that surely would have killed me. I remember leaning against the fridge and crying when I thought that I would forever be alone.

But that's not all that I remember.

I remember me, Gran, and Jason sitting at that table and eating our lunch together. Gran had cooked country fried steak with milk gravy, sweet potatoes, and green beans that she'd canned the year before. There was sweet tea with lemon for us to drink. We talked about the town gossip. I remember the laughter. I remember the hugs and the kisses. I remember the days that we used to bake cookies together. I remember how Gran used to sit on her stool and talk to the hens in town about who was doing what with whom and how often they were doing it. I remember the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I remember the day Gran caught Jason in the kitchen stealing cookies after she'd told him that he couldn't have any. She scared him so bad that when she came into the room that he dropped the cookies and started crying. Gran laughed so hard that she didn't bother punishing him.

I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about it.

Standing up from the kitchen floor, I went back into the living room. I remember telling my Gran what Uncle Bartlett had done to me. I was brave enough to tell her and she was proud of me. I saw three dead men on my living room floor. I remember why they were dead. They tried to kill me. I didn't win but I fought back. Eric and another vampire killed them. I could see the vampire Victor Madden sitting in a chair in my living room and he was giving Eric an ultimatum. He was trying to put fear in my heart but I didn't let him. I stared him down and let him know that I was not afraid. The death and the dishonor that was in this living room were running rampant. There was a tiger in the room standing protectively over a young girl. I remember feeling sad about the tiger but I bravely moved on. But still, there was more. There was better.

I remembered the Christmases that we used to share in that room. The gatherings with different family members and friends during the holidays or just a Sunday visit. I remembered playing hide and seek with Jason. I started to giggle when I remembered how I would always hide in the same place and it always took Jason an extra ten minutes to find me. Our stockings used to hang on the fireplace.

The fireplace

I looked at the fireplace and I remembered sharing things with Eric; personal things. That was when I fell in love with him. I never wanted to admit it to myself or anyone else but I fell in love with him that night. There were conversations that I had with Eric, Pam and another vampire; a dark vampire. There was laughter and joy. There was love and happiness.

I ran through the house feeling happier than I've ever been in my life. Everything was falling into place and I loved it. I ran upstairs and back downstairs. I slid down the banister as I used to do when I was a rugrat. I ran back to the top of the stairs and slid down the stairs on my bottom. It hurt a lot more than it did when I was a kid but it felt good. It felt right. After so much remembering and running around, I had to use the bathroom.

After using the bathroom, I went to the sink to wash my hands. When I looked in the mirror, I noticed the shower. Surprisingly, it wasn't empty. I saw me and Eric standing in there. I turned around; thinking that we would vanish but we were still there. It was real. It was the first time that we'd ever made love. I could see it as if it was happening at that very second. I closed my eyes and I could feel his hands on me. I could feel his breath on my neck. His hands were caressing my body. The way he lathered my hair and washed my body; I knew then that Eric loved me. He wanted me and he wasn't afraid to show it. Eric loved me as I was. I just didn't love me enough to be proud of whom I turned out to be.

Suddenly, everything from Merlotte's to Dallas, from Josephine's to Hadley and Sophie Ann, and from the trip Rhodes to the takeover by Felipe de Castro flooded my every thought. The memories of Neave and Lochlan were there. Eric soothing my pain from their attack was prominent and loving. The scars didn't matter to him. The bite marks and the stabs didn't exist to him. He only cared that I lived. That I still had a soul; that I was still whole and strong. That was all that he cared about. He loved me. He really loved me.

Then I saw the bad and embarrassing memories; memories of me thinking that Eric was forcing me to love him through the bond. There were memories of me breaking the bond that Eric and I shared; the memories of Eric's maker promising him to Oklahoma; they were everywhere. They were real and they were mine. Those memories from before, they weren't real. They weren't mine. They weren't me.

I remember leaving my childhood home so that I could be with Eric. We were starting a new life together. We were going to be eternal lovers. I was going to let him turn me. We even had a new home that we were preparing to move into. Then Eric and I confronted de Castro and Freyda in vampire court so that we could stay together. We were Romeo and Juliet; the newer version. We didn't give up. We won. We went through all of that just to stay together and I was so self involved that I threw it all away. How could I have forgotten what we'd gone through for each other?

And then I remembered.

I remembered what Niall gave me as wedding gift.

Happiness

I understand now what he meant about the sacrifices and that they were mine to bear. I would have to accept the fact that I sacrificed the man that I love because I was ashamed of whom I was. I had to be someone else in order to find the real me.

Stupidly, I was willing to make those sacrifices. I was wrong. Eric didn't betray me. I betrayed him. He remained loyal and trustworthy. I was the traitor and the runaway. Not him and not my vampires. Not Jason. Not Mustapha. It was all me.

_I_was the one that wanted to forget who I was. _I_ wanted to start over and be someone new. _I_ didn't want to be me anymore. _I_ wanted to start over and throw away the old Sookie when the old Sookie is why I am the way that I am now. The old Sookie was ashamed of who she was and what she did. The old Sookie wasn't happy that she wanted to kill her enemies when deep down inside, she knew that killing her enemies was the right thing to do. It was either her and Eric or them; the old Sookie decided that it would be them. And she was right.

I remembered when we fought and killed Victor together. The old Sookie wasn't happy that she wanted to rejoice and party when Victor met his final death so she took it out on Eric. She wanted to show that she was glad that Eric was going to live …so to speak, but she was ashamed. She felt bad about rejoicing because someone had to die; but not anymore.

The old Sookie was disgraceful. The old Sookie was an embarrassment. The old Sookie needed to recognize herself for who she was and what she was. She was selfish and she was wrong. Eric and her vampires suffered without her. Jason had to go years without her. The old Sookie shouldn't have had to go away in order to forget who she was and to get the happiness that she so desperately wanted and deserved. It was here the entire time. It was inside of me. I was just too blind and too stupid to realize it.

Finally opening my eyes, I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror and smiled. I cocked my head to side as my smile broadened. Pride swelled within me. Hell, the old and new Sookie looked good together. They fit perfectly.

"Gran, I acknowledge my past and I do love myself. I am proud of who I am and what I do. I love everything about me; be it good or bad. I'm the best Sookie Stackhouse that I can be."

I filled the bathroom with laughter and joy. It was never about me remembering Eric or Pam or any of the other vampires. It has always been about me remembering who I am. It has always been about me being happy with myself and being proud of what I can do. I continued to laugh at my own stupidity. It felt good. It felt right. Looking in the mirror once more, I smiled at myself because I am happy to be me.

"I remember you," I said the reflection. "I remember you."

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>Niall returned to Faery after he'd talked to Sookie. He had always wanted to get rid of Arlene Fowler and using her to insult Sookie was the perfect way to do it. He didn't want to insult his great granddaughter but time was running out and Sookie needed to get her memories. In the end, it was worth it. It felt good to hold her again and to hear her voice. It felt even better to actually give her the wedding gift that he'd promised her. So what if he'd made mistakes tonight?<p>

He forgot to mask his scent and he called her a name that Gran had never called her before; beloved. He also said that the vampire has always loved her. That was something else that only he had said to Sookie. Thankfully, she didn't recognize it. As he thought of his time with Sookie, his son's voice interrupted his musings.

"How did it go, father?" Dermot asked. "Is she going to be okay with what she has learned? She will understand that you had no choice but to take her there. She won't be angry. She'll realize that was the only way for her to have true happiness. It was the only way for her to understand."

They both knew why it had to be done. Time was running out. It needed to be done. It was in her best interest as well as the interest of the fae.

"No, she won't be angry. She knows that it was what she asked for. In time, she'll appreciate why I brought her home. All of her memories will return and she will finally have the true happiness that she has so longed for. Yes, my son, she will be just fine."

"I miss her father."

Draping his arm over Dermot's shoulder, Niall said, "As expected. But she'll be home soon enough, my son. They'll all be home soon enough. We'll be together again; if only for a little while."

The two faeries walked away and talked about the future of the land of the Fae. Their faery princess would be returning to them in no time at all.

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><p><strong>AN: Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I sincerely hope that I didn't disappoint any of you.**


	59. Chapter 59

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 59**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I hope that you have enjoyed the story thus far. It's not over; not by a long shot. We still have a little ways to go before Sookie and Eric get their happily ever after. As always, the main characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the idea belongs to me. This goes for any chapters; past, present, and future.**

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><p>I wanted to enjoy watching the prisoner gnaw each of his fingers down to the quick. I wanted to enjoy watching <em>him<em> enjoy eating his fingers. It was like a dream come true for me; though it's not the first time I've ever seen it. It was enjoyable because I hadn't been able to properly punish a human in quite some time. Tonight was different.

I was able to do this at my leisure without my wife being upset or insulted. I am now able to do whatever I wanted to do to him and I felt nothing …nothing. There was no satisfaction in it all. I wanted to have the same look of contentment and happiness on my face that Maxwell Lee and Heidi had on theirs. The sight of the prisoner enjoying his own demise should have been a wonderful experience.

When I first descended the stairs of the dungeon, I imagined that punishing my prisoner would go on forever; well at least until he was dead and I would enjoy it. The dark thoughts began firing hastily through my brain, one right after the other, and not one of them showed an ending that was going to end well for the human. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy his torment because I did. At first it felt good to make the prisoner suffer but it did nothing to curb my anger. It didn't satisfy me in the way that I had expected it to. There was still this deep ache that was within me. No matter how the prisoner smiled as he gnawed around the bone of his finger, it did nothing for me. Only one thing could make me feel better and that was Sookie.

And she wasn't here. I had no idea where she was. I tried calling Niall but he wasn't answering any of my calls. I felt that he had some explaining to do. He said that she would only remember the good things. He said that she wanted happiness; complete and utter happiness. That happiness was supposed to mean that she was supposed to forget about those that mistreated her and disrespected her. She wasn't supposed to remember those that betrayed her and denied her the happiness that she deserved. It was all supposed to be a distant memory. Sookie was supposed to be no more than a faded memory to them but how did the red head remember her? I don't know how it was possible but she remembered Sookie the first night she saw her. It made no sense to me. I needed to think and I needed my wife.

"Maxwell, finish with the prisoner. I'm going to my office."

He looked surprised at my request but did as I told him to do. "Is there anything in particular that you'd like to have done to him, my king?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Do what you will. I have nothing particular in mind. Go on. Have fun with him. Kill him instantly or save him for years. It's up to you."

Maxwell Lee had a smile that had the wattage of about one thousand hundred watt bulbs. I'd seen that smile before. The human was going to suffer for quite some time. "Gladly," he said. "Heidi, would you please join me?"

"I'm so glad that you asked," she answered as coyly as possible.

Both vampires approached the smiling prisoner with their fangs drawn. He still didn't show an ounce of fear and considering that neither of them glamored him into being afraid, I'm assuming that's the way that they wanted to keep it. The prisoner was giggling like a fat kid eating cake.

When I went into my office, I sat at my desk and my thoughts wandered back to where they'd been all night long; Sookie. She was out there alone and she was vulnerable. What if the vampire that approached her earlier tonight was following her? What if she was in danger but too damned stubborn and angry to call to me?

I wanted to go and check on her but I've vowed to give her space when she needs it. So I did the next best thing. I called Pam.

"I'm here," she answered her drollest tone.

"I need for you to trail Sookie for me. She said that a vampire approached her tonight while she was out to dinner. Go to her house and see if she's there."

I could almost see the smirk on her face. "Well the vampire that you sent us out to find was nowhere to be seen. If there's another vampire near her and since you're a lot closer to her than we are, why can't you do it?"

"Pam," I replied.

"Why didn't you go after her when she left?" When I didn't immediately respond, Pam continued rambling on. "What did you do to her? Did she tell you that she needed space? I know that something was wrong if you want me to go for her and you're not doing it yourself. What did you do?"

I ignored her. "Report back to me just as soon as you locate her."

Pam did not take the hint that the call was over. She took upon herself to continue talking. "What has happened to her? You guys didn't break up again, did you? It did not go well the last time …for any of us. I know that she's not leaving with Niall this time because if she was you wouldn't be as calm as you are now. I know you, Eric. You did something to piss her off. And you're too quiet to have …"

"We will discuss it when you return and after you do as I've ordered." I hung up before she could speak again. I love my child but she can be quite the bitch. As Thalia has said several times before, Pam is okay but she's okay in extremely small doses.

After all was said and done, I began to think that tonight's events were my fault. I should have killed the red headed bitch before she had a chance to let any of those hateful words spew from her diseased mouth. As soon as those words appeared in my mind, I knew that I didn't mean it.

What damage would have I caused if I had killed Arlene? Would I have altered Sookie's feelings for me? Would I have altered our future? I willingly confess that I probably would have handled the entire situation very poorly.

When it comes to Sookie, it seems that I am most helpless when it comes to making a good decision. Something about being in love makes all lucid and logical thought vanish; to be replaced with nothing but unrefined reactions. It is unsuitable behavior for a vampire of my age to act as I do where Sookie is concerned.

Any other vampire would have ended her because she causes all rational thought to be null and void, useless. She causes one to run on emotions.

And I love it.

I yearn for it.

I dreadfully need it.

I wanted to chase her down when she left tonight. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and take her home and make her listen to me. I want nothing more than for her to return to me. I cannot fathom a future without her. That has not been an alternative since the day that we met but I did not stop her. I let her go. I had no other choice. She needed to think things through. I needed to give her the space that she needed. I definitely can't risk Niall taking her back to Faery. If she leaves me again, it will be the end of me.

Then suddenly, bond was filled with love and happiness. It was so strong it almost knocked me from my chair. I filled my office with laughter and joy. My lover is okay and she is happy.

I ignored the ringing of my phone as I close my eyes and bask in the joy that is my wife. Whatever she's doing has made her beyond happy. I almost feel a pang of jealousy since I am not the one making her feel the love and happiness that is flowing through her right now. The only reason I haven't left the bar to search her down is because I can feel that it is pure and it's from the heart. There was no passion, no ecstasy. There is only happiness. There is only love.

I continue to ignore the incessant ringing of my phone as Sookie's life flows through me. I don't know what Niall did or what she went through while in Faery but I'm as every bit as enthralled by her as I ever was. I have never been prouder of her. And I have to admit that I've never been happier or more grateful for what Niall has done for us.

Don't get me wrong, I still hate the faery prince but I respect him a little more now than I ever have. I'm beginning to consider that there was no veiled agenda to him taking Sookie to Faery to heal and to become more of whom and what she truly is. I'm beginning to see that he really does love my wife. He had every intention of sending her back to me and her vampires. I know now that he has no plans to take her away again. I hate to say this but no vampire should ever be this happy.

We deal in death. We are to not know emotions. We are not meant to love anything or anyone but ourselves and our progenies. We have always been taught to keep our guard up but the feelings that Sookie has bestowed up on me, I will never regret and will be forever thankful for.

Just as I settle into the love that she has given me, a powerful feel of ache and pain drops me to my knees. I double over as it feels as if my heart is about to explode from inside of me. I've never felt such pain. My head is throbbing. The pain that I felt at that very second couldn't possibly have compared to what I felt when Sookie was taken from me.

As I lay on the floor writhing in pain, Pam bursts into my office and her face is contorted. "Master, what is that?" She was holding her hand to her chest and blood fell from the corners of her eyes. "Is that …is that Sookie?"

I could only nod my head.

"What's happening to us?" Pam asked as she fell to the floor.

Then we both heard it; the calling of my name. I slowly and unsteadily rose to my feet. "I'm going to her, Pam."

Soon Heidi and Maxwell were upstairs. They heard the sounds of my chair splintering and the door to my office being torn from its hinges. They looked from me to Pam and didn't know whether to look for an enemy or tend to us.

"What has happened, master?" Heidi asked.

As I staggered to the door, I said, "It is a matter that I will have to attend to. You all go to the hidden room until Pam is well enough to go home. I don't want either of you staying here any longer. The vampire construction crew hasn't arrived to install the new doors. I'm going to Sookie."

Grabbing my arm, Maxwell Lee asked, "Should I go with you? You don't look well enough to go alone. If there is a problem, you may need me."

I shook my head no. "Sookie is mine. I will handle this."

Once I was outside, I took to the sky to find my lover. The pain was excruciating. I couldn't decipher where I was going or where she was. I just knew to follow the pain.

"I'm coming, lover." I said as I sailed through the sky.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>No answer.<p>

"I guess you're busy. I wanted to let you know that I love you and I will see you tonight. There is so much for me to say. I'll try to be at your house by the dawn." I left Eric a voicemail message because I've tried calling him a couple of times but he didn't answer. He must be busy with Mr. Edwards.

I couldn't contain my joy as I sat on the porch swing of my childhood home. I smiled and basked in my happy memories as I looked out into the Louisiana night sky. It was clear and beautiful and it was almost perfect. The only thing that was missing was Eric. If he had answered his phone, he could be with me now. To let him know that I was thinking of him, I sent him my love; tons of it. He sent me a blast of his own in return that caused to swing to sway.

Giggles, crickets, and owls filled the night air …and a void. The same void that I could sense when I first came out to sit on the porch. He'd been watching me for a few minutes. It was time for that void to male himself or herself known.

"You've been hiding out in the woods long enough. You can come on out now," I called out. "I know you're out there."

And there he was; the vampire that approached my car while I was having dinner with Remy. He came out of the woods across from my house. He is the same dark and handsome vampire that watched me drive away. He was dressed in a green and blue plaid button down shirt and khaki pants. He looked like a JCPenney ad. His dark hair was combed to the side and the style exposed his emotionless and harsh face. As I said before, he's handsome but cold.

Using the vampire speed that I'm so familiar with, he was soon standing in front of me. For a second, for just a second, a flicker of familiarity ran across his eyes. He stared at me as if he was … he was waiting for something.

"Are you following me?" I asked him.

"No." Pointing to the porch step, he asked, "May I join you?"

"As long as you don't plan on attacking me, go ahead."

The dark vampire took a seat on the step; his back was facing me. Once he'd sat down, I could see his body settle into place as if he'd been here before; as if his surroundings were familiar. I think he sighed.

"It's quiet here, isn't it?"

I agreed with him. "Other than the usual night sounds, it is. It's quite peaceful. When I was little girl, me and my gran used to sit out here and just listen. She used to say that if I would listen really hard, I would be able to hear the conversations of the owls and the crickets." I chuckled before I continued. "I never heard them talkin' but Gran used to swear that she knew what they were saying. This one time, I asked her …"

The dark vampire turned around to face me and he was almost smiling …almost. His face was still just as cold and as hard as earlier but his eyes, they were different. His eyes almost had a flicker of life in them. Life that he seemed to miss so much but it had eluded him until that very moment. I have to say that he almost looked happy and familiar.

"What?" I asked him; blushing.

"Nothing really," he said as he stood up from the porch steps. He came over to the porch swing and stared at the empty seat by me.

Looking from him and to the empty seat and back to him again, I said, "You can sit in the rocking chair."

He did.

"So why are you almost smiling? When you walked out of the woods, I didn't think that you knew how."

Another flicker of a smile hit the corners of his mouth. "To hear another voice other than my own is quite nice. It gets lonely out here sometimes. I missed the company ...of old."

"You live out here in these woods?" I asked as I folded my legs underneath me so that I could turn and face my guest.

The dark vampire pointed in the direction of woods behind my childhood home. "I stay in the house out past the old cemetery. When I'm in town on vampire business, I stay in my old family home. It used to belong to a distant relative of mine, Jesse Compton. Did you know of him?"

I shook my head. "I've never heard of him. I haven't been back here in a very long time." I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't remember much of anything but that's okay. Tell me, why are you out here all alone? You don't have any human companionship?"

"No but that's part of being a vampire. You don't want to be alone but you get used to being alone." He then said, "When you get used to companionship and it's suddenly taken from you, you prefer loneliness. You don't have to worry about being left alone."

That was the saddest thing I'd ever heard in my life. No one should have to spend their life alone; vampire or human. Everyone deserved to be loved and to feel loved. That's what makes life worth living. Everyone needs lovers, family, and friends. Before I could feel even sadder for my new vampire associate, he continued talking.

"Humans are great companions but they are mortal. A vampire can become so attached to them that it's easy for us vampires to forget that they are mortal …human." Then a look of total heartbreak was not only on his face but also in his eyes when he turned to look at me. "And when they're gone, we're left alone all over again to walk this world for however many centuries we have left. Some vampires want to meet the sun to end their suffering and their pain but they can't. They won't because they've made a promise to their human counterparts that they would carry on." He looked at me as if he was waiting for something but there was nothing that I could give him. I couldn't give him the peace or companionship that he needed.

"You poor, baby," I said. Suddenly, his words made me think about what I'd done to Eric. I began to have memories of Eric and me.

We were at his house; the house that he lives in now. I saw him crying into my nightgown as he inhaled the last of me. I could see him running through our home calling out my name. He would look at our pictures on my cell phone just so he could see me. I clutched at my heart when I saw him dialing my cell phone number and listening to my voice over and over again. I could see him in our living room and he was thinking of me. I whispered in his ear that I loved him. When he looked to see if I was there, he saw that he was alone. He went on a roaring rampage.

My next memory was of him running through the front yard Gran's house as he ran to the cemetery. He was following me. Jason was in the cemetery with his wife and he was crying for me. He blamed Eric for my death. He asked Eric why he didn't turn me. A hand touched Eric's shoulder to calm him when he went to attack Jason. Eric didn't want to be there so he left. His heart was ...dead. He was destroyed. I destroyed him. He went to our waterfall and I was there. I knew that he would go there and there I was. I was treading water and smiling up at him. He blinked and I had to go. Niall said that I couldn't stay there. Eric dropped to his knees and then he finally let the pain go.

The dark vampire was watching me but he never moved. I cried as his words continued to echo in my mind and memories of Eric's pain continued to torture me. I'd never felt such pain in my life.

Then I had another memory. We were sitting on this porch swing. I was dressed in a white, gauzy gown. I was almost see through but I was whole …I think. And there was a bright light that surrounded me and a darkness that surrounded Eric …pain and suffering. It was his pain and suffering. He'd sit on the porch swing and wait for me. He'd cry on the nights I didn't come to him. He would hang his head and bloody tears fell on the porch.

When I looked down at the porch and I could see the stains of Eric's tears. My soul shattered into a million pieces but the memories continued to come.

We would sit on the swing in silence and not speak. The bond that we shared was still intact. That's how I knew when to come to him. I could feel his pain. He was going to meet the sun and I knew it. He was going to die. I would go to him and tell him things that I'd always wanted to say to him and I'd whisper in his ear until he was my Eric once again.

"You have the most beautiful smile, Eric," I said as I looked up at him. "I've never seen a smile like yours. And your eyes, I've never seen in anyone else's eyes what I see in yours." I could feel his happiness and his love at the sounds of my words, my voice.

He brushed his thumb across my face and I would lean into his touch. I remember his words as if he was saying them to me at this very moment. "You're so beautiful."

As the memories came to me, my heart stopped. I remember the words that I said to him. "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know that I would have to die. I never wanted to leave you."

Speaking aloud and to myself, I said, "I didn't understand what I was doing."

I made Eric promise not to meet the sun. He suffered because of me. He would sit on this porch swing night after night waiting for me. The idea of me coming back to him was the only thing that kept him going. Our life as husband and wife; that was all he had to live for until I returned to him. And that was because of me and my selfishness …my self-loathing.

"Oh, Eric," I whispered.

Pain and grief filled me.

"Are you alright?"

I'd forgotten that he was still there; the dark vampire. I'd also forgotten how to be a proper hostess. Gran would have been ashamed of me.

"Nothing," I said. "Would you like for me warm you a blood? I don't' know if I have any but I can go and look."

I jumped up from the swing and went inside. I didn't know whether there was blood in the fridge or not but I needed a little time alone. I couldn't breathe. As I leaned on the kitchen counter, I closed my eyes and thought of what my guest said; that vampires have to suffer when their humans die. Someone had tortured him just as I'd tortured Eric. After a moment of silence, I went and looked in the fridge and a blood was there. I popped it into the microwave and waited.

After the forty-five seconds had passed and the microwave beeped, I was hit with another memory. I could see myself lying in bed in a white room. My face was beaten and bruised. There were two other people there; Niall and another man. I couldn't see his face. The only one that I could clearly see; the only one that I wanted to see was Eric. I waited for him. I needed to see him before I went away. I could see Eric holding me in his arms and he was crying. I was stroking his face and every memory that we'd shared I could see them in his eyes. I could feel them in his heart. It was as if was taking them with me. I didn't want to leave him but …I had to. It was a sacrifice that I was willing to make; a sacrifice that I wish that I hadn't made.

I dropped to my knees and grabbed my heart. The pain that Eric felt consumed me as it melded with my own pain. It was more than I handle. For every year that I was gone, I was overwhelmed with what Eric had gone through. My head was filled with memories of us; past and present. He had always been there for me and I was able to leave him without a second thought.

Suddenly the backdoor to the house came crashing down. There he was; my warrior, my hero, my protector.

"Eric," I cried out. He was soon on the floor with me and holding me in his arms. "I never meant to hurt you. You suffered so badly because of me. How can you love me after all that I've done to you? How can you forgive me?"

He forced me back and looked into my eyes. "Because I love you," he said simply. "You did what you had to do; what you felt was right. The only thing that matters is that you came back to me. That's all that matters, lover."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and said, "I'm so sorry that I blamed you for what I'd done. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me"

"There's nothing to forgive."

I couldn't believe my luck. When I leaned back to look into his eyes, I could see that he would have forgiven me for anything. He loves me. "I've never seen in anyone else's eyes what I see in yours."

He grabbed my face and kissed as if it was going to be the last time. But I promise that we will never have a last time again.

After a moment, Eric looked at me and asked, "How did you come to be in Bon Temps?"

"I don't know. It was just like the first night that I went to Fangtasia. The road wasn't there and then all of sudden it was."

"I see," he said. He had a knowing look on his face but said nothing.

Taking his face into my hands and making him look into my eyes, I said, "If there's something that I need to know, you need to tell me. I want to know everything about my past life. I want to know everything that I've forgotten. I can't be happy without it."

He looked as if he was going to say something but he stopped. Eric wrapped his arms around me and he pulled me closer to him. I knew that it wasn't a love squeeze either. Eric sensed danger.

I began tapping him on the back, and said, "I know that you love me but, baby, I can't breathe."

With his vampire speed, Eric pushed me behind him and stood in his protective stance. He had me pinned between him and cabinets. His hands were clawed and his fangs were down. He was ready to kill for me. His growl was building deep within him.

"Eric, what's wrong?" I asked. I pushed him forward as much as I could and stood up; still pinned against the cabinet. "Is it the vampire that's on the front porch?"

Eric whipped his head around and looked at me. "Who is here?"

I shrugged my shoulders and chuckled. "I can honestly say that I don't know. I didn't bother to ask him his name. It's the vampire that was watching me when I left the restaurant tonight. Come on," I said as I eased from behind him. "It's alright. He's not going to hurt me. If he wanted to, he would have already. He's had more than enough time. We've been outside talking. He's on the porch."

I was leading the way but Eric was soon in front of me. When we went outside, the dark vampire was standing on the porch but in my doorway. When he saw Eric, he was soon bowing. "My king," he said.

Eric didn't have time for any pleasantries. He was not happy with this vampire. "Why are you here?"

The vampire looked up at Eric and said, "I was taking a walk and I remembered her scent …her scent was all over you when we were in New Orleans. I saw her tonight at the restaurant. Just as before, I could smell her scent. She was with a human man. I only approached her because I knew of her scent and I knew that she had to have been part of your retinue. I wanted to make sure that she was safe."

"She is not a part of my retinue. She is my wife," Eric growled. "She is mine."

I could have sworn that he looked sad to hear those words.

"I did not come here to claim her," he said as he glanced at me. "She was here alone and I came to check on her … to make sure that she was safe."

"I told you, baby. It's okay. He didn't make any improper moves on me." Looking at the dark vampire, I said, "I wouldn't let that happen."

And again, he almost looked sad.

Eric glared at him but took me at my word. He still wasn't happy with the dark vampire being close to me but he let it go. "There was no reason for you to come to Bon Temps. You shouldn't be anywhere near Louisiana for that matter. You have your own state to deal with. There's nothing for you here."

Eric is a stickler for the rules; it must be something new that he'd picked up while I was away. I can remember that he had broken quite a few rules before I left.

"I was going to Fangtasia to meet with you but when I called Pam to see if you were available, she told me that I needed to stay away. She said that something was going down there that you had to take care of. So I did as she told me. I was going to spend the night here in Bon Temps in my family home and meet with you tomorrow night ...if time permitted. If I had known …"

Eric gave him a wave of his hand and a simple nod as he cut the vampire off in mid sentence. "Explain why you are here. And it'd better be good."

"I need to ask a favor of you, my king. There are some humans in your state that I want to bring to Oklahoma. They would more than solidify my standing in the vampire community." A flash of secrecy ran across his face when he glanced at me. Whatever he was going to say to Eric, he definitely didn't want me to hear it.

"If you need privacy, Eric, I will go home and I'll see you there."

"You don't have to go, my lover. I can meet with him another time. He is not what's important. You are what matters."

I looked at the dark vampire and shook my head no. "You do what you need to do, baby. I'll see you later on tonight. We can talk then."

He was hesitant but Eric agreed. "I'll see you at home, lover."

"I love you, Eric."

"I love you too, Sookie. You'll wait up for me?"

I nodded. "I will."

After kissing Eric goodnight, I watched as he and the vampire walked through the woods behind my childhood home. As I walked to my car, I could feel the dark vampire's eyes on me. I turned around to face him and he looked away quickly but not before I caught a glimpse of his eyes. For that brief moment I felt that I knew him. And when I knew him, he was hiding something. Obviously, he hasn't changed.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope that you enjoyed and I apologize for the delay.**


	60. Chapter 60

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 60**

**You all are the absolute greatest readers in the Fan Fiction world. I love that you review, you favorite and that you alert, and most of all that you read this story. You all keep me writing and my imagination going strong. Thank you all so very much.**

**The story idea is mine but most of the characters belong to Charlaine Harris.**

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><p>As I sat in my car, I couldn't get the dark vampire's stare out of my mind. He just seems so familiar to me. There's something about him but I just can't put my finger on it but I do know one thing. I don't trust him. He's not what he seems but he's not what I think he might be or he probably is ...I don't know. I don't exactly trust him and I don't know why. Gran would be so disappointed in me.<p>

She raised me to believe that there is some good in everyone and she was right. Take Eric for instance. He's a vampire. He's had to kill to survive. Well as much as a vampire can survive but there's good in him. He has a beautiful heart and an amazing soul. He's just wonderful and I'm not saying any of this because I love him but that dark vampire … he bothers me.

He's on the hunt for someone and it's not going to end well. There's just something about him. Did I know him from my past life? Is that why I feel that I can't trust him? Does he know me? Maybe he does. I was here alone with him and he never attacked me. He had ample time to try and attack me. I could have killed him before he had a chance to even move from his seat but still he didn't attack me. He could have tried to if he'd really wanted to. But like he said, he knows that I'm Eric's. Vampires have a strong sense of smell. He had to have smelled Eric on me and in me.

Hmmm

But what if it's not me that he recognizes? He couldn't come up with anything better than that? What if he's trying to destroy my and Eric's marriage? He did see me with Remy tonight. And why did he even have to mention that to Eric? Did he think that I hadn't told Eric? Is he trying to cause problems in our marriage? If he would bring that up, there's no telling what else he might say. He could tell Eric things that aren't true. He could tell Eric that I've been sneaking around behind his back. He could make my dinner meeting with Remy seem to more than it was. Eric would have never believed him but still.

I sighed. Just as soon as that thought entered my mind, it was gone. Eric trusts me. He wouldn't take that vampire's word over mine.

I drummed my fingernails on the steering wheel and continued to stare into the night. Something wasn't right with him. Why didn't I see it at first? He seemed so pleasant when we were alone but when Eric arrived, he was suddenly secretive. Why did he change when Eric appeared? Is it because Eric is the king?

I shook my head no.

He was open with me before Eric arrived. He spoke of the pain that he felt when he'd lost his human. He was polite. He was the southern gentleman of old that Gran used to brag about. Gran would have loved him. Then boom ...it was gone when Eric appeared.

"Fuck," I mumbled under my breath.

I shouldn't have let Eric go with him alone. Eric could need me. What if he tried to hurt… what am I saying? He can't hurt Eric. He is too strong and he is a warrior. He's a protector. He would never tolerate traitors in his circle. He wouldn't let them close enough to us. Eric has always protected us. He'll know if something is wrong.

I chuckled. "I'm going home. Eric will be fine. He is not a baby. He is more than capable of taking care of himself."

When I put my fingers on the keys to turn the ignition to go home, I couldn't.

"I have to go to that house," I said.

So, instead of getting out of the car, I just sat there. What if I'm wrong? What if I'm stressing myself out for no reason at all? There could be nothing to it. He could just be here for a visit. I'm being a worrisome wife for no reason at all.

No. I'm not wrong.

For one, I don't like the way he looked at me. Secondly, I don't like the fact that he was at the restaurant when I was there with Remy. Thirdly, why is he in Eric's state anyway? He didn't get permission to come to Louisiana. From what I understand of tonight's conversation, Eric didn't even know that the dark vampire was going to be here. He's up to something and I have to find out what it is. And as quickly as that, there it was. I knew why he was here.

"Son of a bitch!" I exclaimed.

He has to be the vampire that has been stalking Remy and Hunter. He did say to Eric that there are humans that he may need to take with him to Oklahoma. What if the human that he wants is Hunter? He could kill Remy and take Hunter as his own. He could have Hunter as part of his retinue; reading the minds of the humans that are the companions of vampires; using Hunter to read the minds of his enemies, putting him in danger and in the middle of supernatural politics.

"That's it!" I screamed. "Why else would he be in Louisiana without Eric's permission?"

I took my cell from my purse and I called Remy. He answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Savoy; this is Sookie. Did I wake you?"

"No, no, I'm not asleep. Hunter has been a bundle of nerves tonight. I just got him down for the night. What's up? Do you need a little company?" he asked with a little lilt in his voice.

"No. I'm good," I answered. "I hate to bother you so late but we need to talk about the vampires that have been following you. There are a few questions that I need to ask …if that's alright? Do you have the time?"

Remy yawned and said, "Sure. Fire away."

I was going to get what I needed to prove that the dark vampire can't be trusted and I was going to do everything in power to get rid of him. He wouldn't be taking any humans to Oklahoma if I have anything to say about it.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>When Bill and I entered his living room, he offered me a seat on the only couch in the meagerly furnished space. As I waited for the vampire to speak, a look of inquisitiveness played in his eyes. There was something that he wanted to say and I knew that it had to do with my wife but cleverly, he kept it to himself. Bill finally decided to stand tall and straighten his shirt.<p>

He asked, "Would you like a blood? I have the royal brand. I can even call to have a human brought to you if you prefer. There are few virgins that I know of that are close by. I can call up the service if you'd like."

Glaring at Bill, I said, "Do you not recall that I told you that I am married? Obviously, it seems to have skipped your mind. There is only one woman that I feed from and she is not here."

Bill bowed and said, "I meant no insolence, my liege. Would you like a bottle of Royal?"

His innocent act was about to come to an end. "What I want for you to do is to tell me which humans you think you need with you in Oklahoma to solidify your standing as king."

Bill gave me a small nod and sat on the edge of the worn coffee table. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and began his pitch. "There are certain humans in Louisiana that would make it so that our states, Louisiana and Oklahoma respectively, prosper beyond our wildest dreams. I don't want them all. I'm only asking for one of them." In a murmured voice, he added, "He's extraordinary, Eric. He's quite ...special."

Now I was intrigued. I leaned back, stretched my arms over the back of the couch and rested my ankle on my knee. Whatever Bill had to say was more than I had expected to hear. "Go on."

"A few nights ago after the meeting with Edgington …you did get the full report? I sent it by messenger and a very powerful witch put a spell on it so that no one would be able to open it but you. It did come intact?"

"Yes," I said.

"Was it adequate? Edgington said that he would have his contacts in Shreveport within the next seventy-two hours to proceed with the destruction of the FoTSs and the government's supernatural bill."

"Yes. It was well written. Continue," I ordered.

"I apologize. I know that I was supposed to leave that a few night ago but on my first night here, I met up with an old friend and we …we went out for ice cream at the local Dairy Queen. While we were seated at a table, a little boy tugged on the tail of my shirt. He looked utterly mystified. It was if I was something new; though we vampires have been out in the public for quite a few years now. Most children are not as forthcoming to strangers or they've been taught not to be welcoming with strangers. This young child must not have been taught of such warnings. He wasn't not like any child I've ever encountered. He wasn't frightened of me. Hesmiled at me. I showed him my fangs. He giggled. And Eric, he said something that I'd only heard one other human say."

Bill sat there and waited for my reaction. I didn't give him one.

"He asked me why I glowed. He could see the glowing of my skin. He's not of this world. He's not human."

Bill's face looked like that of a new vampire. I was almost amused by him but my face remained stoic. That disturbed him to the nth degree. He wanted me to be just as excited as he was. Don't get me wrong. I was excited but I couldn't let him see that. He had to think that I've always known about this anonymous child. Bill was so bothered by my lack of response that he was no longer sitting on the table. He was squatted down in front me as he balanced himself on the balls of his feet.

"Eric, he told me that he couldn't hear me. I must have looked confused because the child elaborated. He said that I didn't talk in my head like other people do. He said that everyone else was talking or singing or cussing or thinking bad thoughts in their heads but I wasn't. He asked me why my head was empty. I asked him what he meant. He said that the other people talk without moving their mouths. He asked me why I couldn't do it. He pointed to the woods and said that I was just like the lady behind the tree."

This time my face betrayed me. The boy is a telepath like my Sookie. He has to be one of the children that she needed to keep protected.

This time Bill smiled at my reaction. "I tried glamoring him but he started to laugh and told me not to tickle his brain. Before I could speak with him any longer, the man that was with your wife earlier tonight came to take him away. He called out to the child and was reprimanding him for walking away. When his father looked at me, he immediately knew that I was a vampire. He grabbed the child's hand and they walked away. The boy looked at me over his shoulder and waved good-bye. He said, '_Good-bye, Mr. Vampire'_. When he said that, the father lifted the boy into his arms and ran quickly to his car. Eric, the boy is unique."

Remy; he is the man that Sookie was talking to on the night of our first date. He was the man that Sookie had dinner with tonight. They were discussing the boy. If the boy is telepathic and he approached Bill without pause or fear, I wonder what other supes the child may have made himself known too. And since this is Bill's supposed first night back in Louisiana, how does he know that there are more children like this boy?

I could suddenly hear Sookie's voice. "My children are special. They have many gifts that set them apart from others. Some are telepathic. Some can foresee the future. Some have other very unique gifts. All that matters is that they are my children, Eric. I have to keep them protected. Will you help me?"

"How many children have you found, Bill?"

"Eight so far," he responded.

He'd found Sookie's children but how?

"How do you know this, Bill? How do you know that there are eight unique children that are living in Louisiana?"

Bill stood up and began pacing the room. "Forgive me but I put two of my Oklahoma Weres on the boy and his father." Lifting his hand in response to my unasked question, he said, "I never told them that he was special. I told them that they were special friends of yours and that we needed to keep them safe. I told them that they needed protection from some extremely violent humans."

Strike one. My eyes were hooded and my fangs descended. "You remain in my state without request and you 'find' some humans with unique qualities. You've put protection on them …for how long now?

"A little over a week," he replied humbly. The earlier excitement was now gone.

"A week and you're just now telling me? You used my name and status as king to protect some humans that you want to claim as your own. You've done all of this without my permission and you believed that I would go along with your plan to take the child with you. Stop me if I'm wrong."

He didn't stop me.

I wanted to kill him but I remained seated. I never shifted from my seat as I studied his cool face. If Bill had wanted to betray me, he could've killed the father and taken the boy as his own. The fact that he didn't works in his favor. As a matter of fact, he reacted just as I would have if I had been in his shoes. Bill was thinking like a king. I almost smiled because my regent was thinking like his mentor but my pride was short lived. I made a vow to Sookie to keep the children that she loves protected and that is just what I intend to do.

"Why should I let you live?"

"Because there's more," he said.

Again, I was intrigued. "Explain," I ordered.

"I have a contact that tells me that the eight children with these unique abilities are connected but we don't know how. What we do know is that each child is not of this world. We can't seem to find out what they are or where they're from. The facility that the children visit during the day is warded. When the Weres tried to enter, they couldn't. When my contact tried to find the information on the children, he couldn't get into the office that houses their personal information. My contact has said that the children are only seen by one person but when he was asked for the person's name, the person that he asked couldn't remember who it was. There is some powerful magic surrounding the facility and the person that's working with those children." Bill returned to the edge of the coffee table and said, "It's just like the magic that surrounds your wife."

Sitting up slowly so that Bill could see me, I asked, "What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything that shouldn't be said. If she knows about these children, she could help us. If the boy would approach me without fear, he could very well do that with another vampire or another supe. She could be of great value."

Pushing the couch to the other side of the living room and pinning Bill to the floor by his neck, I glared down at him and asked, "Just as she was before? My wife is not a bargaining chip. She is not something to be used in your game of power."

Bill didn't notice the question that I asked of him because he continued to speak of the child. "I took the initiative to put protection on the boy …"

"Which you never should've done without my permission," I said. I was no longer proud of Bill. He had unwittingly brought my wife into the middle of more vampire business; vampire business that she doesn't know about. Leaving her blind and unknowing is not how the situation should've been handled.

"My contact could help us. Your wife could talk to him for us."

Mr. Haynes is Bill's contact.

_"Mr. Haynes is giving me a hard time. He wants to start videotaping my sessions. But he can't do that Eric."_

The look of her pleading eyes danced in my memory.

_"If he does, he'll put my children in danger. He's up to something. He's trying to have my children sent to the other therapists but they have to be with me. I am their protector. It's always been me."_

Mr. Haynes is betraying my wife for Bill.

"_He's never acted like that before. He's always trusted me."_

I'm going to have to kill Mr. Haynes.

_"I tried reading him but got nothing. His mind was blank to me. I can't let him take my children. They need me."_

He'd been glamored. That's why his mind was blank to her. I will not let him or Bill take her children from her.

Bill interrupted my thoughts by saying, "She can help us."

"No," I said as I squeezed his throat tighter.

Bill twisted his head back and forth. I loosened by grip as he said, "But she can help us. We could rule the supernatural world. We could put an end to the government's plan to destroy us. We could rule the entire world with your wife's help."

"Suggest it again and I will fucking kill you and know this, Bill. I don't make threats."

He stared at me for a moment before speaking again. He swallowed deep as he looked into my eyes. "You're nothing like Sophie Ann. You remember her and you're still in love with her; just as you were before she died."

He remembers her.

"I want you to know that when I approached her at the restaurant, I didn't recognize her scent. I didn't even know who she was. The only reason I approached her at all was because I recognized your scent on her and I was going to ask her about the human." He continued to stare into my eyes. "But then I couldn't."

Standing quickly, I asked, "Why?"

Bill stood and said, "There was something in her eyes."

Bill never saw the punch coming. He was soon embedded into the wall behind him. He never blinked. "I didn't know then."

A feral growl escaped me. I began walking to the vampire that had not bothered to remove himself from the wall. "What do you know now, Bill?"

A sudden sullen and almost sad look overcame his normally cold and deadly face. "As soon as she got out of her car, I knew that she had returned. It was as if I could feel her." In a faraway voice, he added, "I haven't felt her in years. I don't know how I knew but I knew that she was home. I watched her from the woods."

I was soon standing in front of Bill and my fingers were clawed and they'd pierced the flesh of his skin. I could feel the bone of his chest plate beneath my fingertips. I was prepared to rip his dead heart from within his chest.

"And?" I asked.

"How did I not recognize her until she came back to Bon Temps? I swear on the blood that I did not recognize her at the restaurant. I had no idea who she was, Eric. But when she stepped out of that car tonight and walked up that driveway, something inside of me came to life. Though I haven't tasted her blood in years and we share no bond, I knew that it was her. You must believe me. I didn't know who she was."

Shockingly, I believed him.

"I felt that I had to be losing my mind. I thought that maybe the woman was an imposter but you confirmed it. You said that she is your wife. I knew then that it had to be true. When she died, you were inconsolable. You weren't the vampire that you were when she was alive. With that alone, I knew that it was Sookie. You would have never remarried. She was yours. She has always been yours; even when she was mine." With a sad look in his eyes, he said, "She hasn't aged a day. She's even more beautiful than she was before."

Whispering, I agreed with is previous statement. "She is mine."

"Eric, I must apologize to you."

That surprised me. I removed my fingers from his chest but kept my hand clawed. "Explain."

"I was testing you."

I punched Bill several times; breaking his nose and jaw. I broke a couple of fingers and his arm. His ribs cracked as I continued to punch him.

"She is my wife! I am nothing like Sophie Ann. I am definitely not like you. Since our first meeting, she has always been my first thought. She has always come first. She will forever come first. I have always loved Sookie and would never use her to further my status as sheriff or king." While Bill was lying on the floor, I kicked him to the other side of the room.

I watched Bill as he crawled to the kitchen. When he returned, he was shoving his jaw back into place and drinking blood after blood in order to heal.

As I watched him, a thought did come to mind. I wondered why Sookie did not recognize him. She didn't know his name. I could use that to my advantage. I could kill him and she would be none the wiser. I could kill him for the pain and betrayal that he caused her when he first came into her life. I could tell her that he had planned on attacking her. There is so much that I could do to keep the memory of Bill Compton dead but I won't do it. I can't do that. She has a right to know who he is and the part that he played in her life.

She has a right to know.

There is only one reason why Bill Compton will remain alive. I love Sookie.

"Eric, may I speak?" Bill asked as he shifted his jaw from side to side. As he limped towards me, his arm was hanging limply at his side.

"Yes," I replied.

"I don't want anything from you or from Sookie. We will have to keep the boy quiet. He speaks out of turn and the next time it happens, he may not meet a vampire or another supe that will not take him on the spot. The next vampire will take him and they will not come to you as I've done. The next vampire will kill anyone that gets in his or her way. They will do anything in their power to stake claim to the boy. We will have to keep him and the others protected."

"Why the change of heart?" I asked.

"Because I know how Sookie used to be," he answered simply. "Whomever she loves, she will protect and because we love her, we will do anything to keep her happy and safe."

He was right. Sookie is a protector. She always has been. She always will be.

"We can't do anything without talking to Sookie. She cannot be kept in the dark on what's going on. If other vampires know about the children and she's around them, she would be in danger. We can't keep her in the dark." I needed to talk to Sookie as soon as I could but there wouldn't be enough time. I had only a couple of hours before the dawn and it took at least forty-five minutes to get to her home.

"I am at your disposal," Bill said as he bowed to me.

"I know that you are," I replied.

Suddenly, he blurted out, "How did this come to be? I saw her die in your arms. Was she in hiding? Why would she leave us behind? Was she in danger? We could have protected her. We'd done it before. Did she lose faith in us? Did she not believe in us anymore?" His eyes were begging for some type of consolation.

She didn't leave _us_. _We_ couldn't have protected her. She was mine then. She is mine now. Everything else that he asked was none of his business. I didn't owe Bill any explanations but I would answer one of his questions. He needed to know that she was no longer the innocent from long ago. He couldn't screw this Sookie over. She'd kill him first.

"She left so that she could find herself. For now, that is all that I can say. Anything that has happened with Sookie while she was away is none of your concern."

Bill had a look of question on his face because of the way that I answered him. I was just as surprised as he was because I didn't know the answer until I'd spoken it. She had to be happy with who she was before she could ever have the true happiness that she so greatly craved. She had to accept Sookie Stackhouse. I chuckled unexpectedly as I realized the reason for my wife's departure. I guess Niall taught us all a little something.

"Is she the same?"

I shook my head no. "She's stronger. Her will, her ideals, her personality; she's so much more accepting of herself than she was before. Now, she's more of the supernatural world. She embraces it. She relishes it. She's not ashamed to fight or kill. She will kill anyone that she feels is a danger to what is hers." I made sure to look him in her eyes when I made that revelation. Bill, being the smart vampire that he is, understood my meaning.

"What was it like when you first saw her?"

A genuine smile appeared in my eyes. "I was me again."

"Did she …did she remember you…right away?"

Shaking my head, I said, "She did not."

Bill looked sadder than before. "My king, I have a request of you."

I had to laugh. He's had my wife followed …unknowingly. He's been tailing and 'protecting' Sookie's children without my knowledge and now he's decided to ask something of me?

With sarcasm dripping from my voice, I said, "Since you've asked for everything you've wanted so far, please don't hesitate to ask for more. I've already been so generous by letting you live. Please, ask for more."

"We can't tell her who I am. I don't want her to remember me. I don't want her to remember the things that I'd done to her. I've caused her more hurt than anyone in her life. For the rest of my days, I will have to forever live with the pain that was on her face when she first found out the reason for me being in Bon Temps and being with her. Since that memory is gone, let it stay gone. I destroyed her. We can't tell her."

He had a valid point and I couldn't have agreed more but things are different. "That is something that I cannot do. It's not my decision to make."

"Then after tonight, it is best that I never return to Louisiana. Her life seems to be as she's always wanted it to be. We can't tell her, Eric. We can't tell Sookie the truth."

The front door to Bill's house came open and there she was. A frown was on her face and her hands on her hips. Sookie was not happy and when she opened her mouth, I knew right then that all hell was about to break loose.

"What is the truth that I can't know about; hmmm? What is it that you can't tell Sookie?"

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you enjoyed!**


	61. Chapter 61

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 61**

**I want to apologize to you all for the delay in this chapter. I have started a new job and it is kicking my butt. The hours are long and the pay is horrible but I love it. I will do my best not to make you all wait so long for the next chapter. I also want to thank you all for sticking with me. Your reviews, favorites, and alerts are wonderful. Thank you all so much for your time and patience. I can't thank you enough.**

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><p>"You have to believe me," Bill begged. "It has never been my intention to harm that child or his father. That is why I placed protection on them. I would never do anything to betray my king or his queen. That is why I came to my king. I wanted his permission. I know that I said that I wanted to take a human with me but I would never do anything to hurt him. I am loyal to you …and your husband."<p>

I appeared to be an afterthought.

Sookie tilted her head to the left and studied Bill. She stared at him as if the memories of him were in her mind. It looked as if she was trying to sort each memory out but it was hard to tell what she was thinking. Her face very rarely betrays her true feelings and I hate it.

Just this once I wanted to be telepathic. I wanted to know what was going on that little head of hers but she was giving me nothing. There was no expression on her face. Her eyes were just as blank. The bond held nothing. There was no anger. There was no fear. There was no sign of recognition. There was nothing. Still, she continued to stare at him. She remained seated on the couch; her hand in mine.

Bill continued to try and appease to Sookie's good side when he should have left well enough alone. "I didn't realize that they …that the child and his father belonged to you. The boy, he approached me and told me what he could do. I didn't search him out, my queen. My only concern was that if he had approached any other vampire and said to them what he'd said to me, they would have taken him without pause. His father would be no more and the boy would be gone. That's why I put the Weres on them. I swear to you."

Sookie glared at him. She knew very well that he wanted to make sure that no other supes would be able take the boy before he had a chance to. When Bill saw the look in her eyes, he flinched. If I didn't know her, I probably would have reacted just as he did. On second thought, no I wouldn't have. I'd calm her down and stoke her ego. I would've given her my most devastating smile and had my way with her.

Watch.

"Sookie," I said.

She didn't look at me. This time I felt something in the bond and that something was a blast of anger. When she said that we would talk later, I guess she meant it. I don't understand why she's angry. I didn't agree to hide anything from her. She didn't give me a chance to; though I wouldn't have anyway. I just wanted to charm her … calm her down.

Bill dropped to his knees and kneeled down before her. "You have to believe me."

Her face remained blank as she spoke. "So following him in the daytime makes perfect sense; though he was not in danger from vampires during the day?"

He said yes. "It made perfect sense to me ...at the time. I didn't want anyone to find out about the children. I didn't even tell the Weres what he is. Please, believe me."

"He didn't approach any other supes did he?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Bill responded.

"Who is your contact?" she asked him unexpectedly.

Bill opened his mouth and then closed it again. He didn't say anything. There was no need for him to tell her. Sookie and I both knew that his contact was Mr. Haynes and he would definitely be handled as soon as possible. He's put my wife in harm's way. As far as I'm concerned, he will be dealt with.

He finally found his nerve to speak. "I promised that I wouldn't …"

She shook her head and said, "I knew that you wouldn't tell me." Leaning forward, Sookie stared into Bill's eyes. "There's something about you …" Sookie ended her sentence unexpectedly. Turning to look at me she asked, "What is his name, baby?"

"Bill," I said. "His name is Bill Compton."

Bill looked heartbroken and shattered by the fact that Sookie didn't remember him and that she didn't quickly believe him as she so readily did when they'd first met. Bill realized that she was not the same naïve country girl that he'd manipulated when they'd first met in that shifter's dumpster bar. She wasn't the same naïve country girl that he'd met so only a few years ago. She is a woman; a strong woman. She is my wife.

My friend

My queen

"There's something about you, Mr. Compton," she continued with a serious tone.

I could feel my insides beginning to seethe with anger and jealousy. Those are the exact same words that she said to me when she came home. What is trying to say? That Bill and I are the same? How can there be something about me and something about him? I should rip his...

"Calm down, baby," she said without looking at me. Her eyes were still trained on Bill as she patted my leg. "It's alright."

Bill decided that it was safe for him to speak. "Please, call me Bill."

"I prefer Mr. Compton."

I began to feel relaxed. My something different is way better than his something different. I almost smiled.

With hurt eyes and a cool tone, Bill said, "Yes, ma'am."

"You've met a lot of human women along your many journeys haven't you?"

"I have."

"I can tell that about you. You talk the talk of a true southern gentleman but I get the feeling that you've played this game on unsuspecting women before. You know; with your sweet, southern _pleases_, _thank yous_, and _yes ma'ams_. I get the feeling that the role of the southern gentleman is a game that you play often and quite well. Is it a game to you, Mr. Compton?"

Bill shook his head no.

She didn't believe him. "You get the human women to believe in you. You make them believe that you are the man or the vampire of their dreams. They fall for it and you take everything that they have to offer. And then you go in for the kill; you hurt them. You use them. You destroy them. I don't trust you, Mr. Compton; not yet. My husband trusts you but ...me; I don't know." She looked Bill up and down before she said, "Maybe I'll never trust you."

There was only one thing that he could say. "I understand."

"I don't think that you do; not truly. When you sat with me tonight, I saw something sorrowful in you. I saw this pitiable creature sitting on my porch step and I felt so bad for you. You had me believing that you suffered a loss so painful that it destroyed you. For just a second, I saw something almost human in you but looking at you now, I have to wonder. I wonder if that's what you wanted me to see. I wonder if you thought that I was going to be an easy target."

Bill began to shake his head no. "That was not my intention. I never saw you as an easy target. I just wanted the company."

Oddly enough, I believed him. Sookie didn't.

Sookie's fingers brushed Bill's hair from his brow. She gave him a coy smile as she spoke. "It's never your intention, is it?"

Her frankness was mind blowing for me. Every day I think that I can never be any more surprised by her but when it comes to Sookie and surprises, I'm usually wrong. Her strength and courage make me love her all the more.

Since returning to me, it's hard for me to know exactly what she's feeling. Her emotions are calmer than before. Her expression never betrays her; not that it did before. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her what she needed to know about Bill and her past relationship with him. I wanted to tell her that because of her resilience she was able to bounce back from what he'd done to her and love again. I wanted to tell her that her resilience allowed her to fall in love again and it allowed her to let me love her. I wanted to tell her everything but it was not my place. She needed to do this on her own. So I did what any good husband would do. I sat by her side and held her hand.

"Sometimes we have to make choices and those choices aren't the best choices," Bill explained. "Sometimes we don't mean to hurt the ones that we love the most but some circumstances are unavoidable. Someone is bound to get hurt in the process."

Sookie shook her head. "That's the most selfish thing I've ever heard in my life. Do you know that some of the worst things in history happened because of choices that have been made without the consideration of others?"

"I had no choice."

"We all have choices; whether they're good or bad." Looking at me, she added, "We sometimes do things without knowing what we're doing and we regret it. We'll never make those stupid mistakes again." She reached over and adoringly touched my face.

I silently acknowledged her sweet words.

Placing her hand back onto her lap, she turned back to look at Bill. "You were in love once?"

"Yes," he said longingly as he looked at her.

"Was she human?"

"Yes," he whispered and nodded at the same time.

She continued to stare at Bill for a long while. "You betrayed her. There was a lot of hurt, betrayal, and deceit. And I'm sad to say that it was all on your part. I can see that you didn't want to hurt her but you took the coward's way out. You thought that you were following orders and if the human was hurt, she'd get over it just so long as you did what you set out to do. You were only following orders."

"Yes," he repeated.

"You wanted to blame others for the things that you did to her."

"Yes."

Sookie shook her head. "You didn't have to do them."

Bill only stared at her. He wanted to speak but couldn't. A look of regret washed over him. I knew that he was thinking about the things that he hid from Sookie when he had her. He was remembering the pain that was on her face when she found out why he really came to Bon Temps. The visions of her hand clutched to her chest and the tears flowing from her eyes were clearly on his mind. The sight of her shaking her head back and forth as he told her that she was no more than a pawn when he first met her played in his memories.

He was finally getting the punishment that he so deserved. He now knew how she felt. He knew what it felt like to be hurt by the one that you so greatly love. He knew how cold his voice must have sounded when he'd explained his reasons for coming to Bon Temps. He knew how empty his eyes must have been when she looked into them. He now knew her pain. He could finally feel what he'd done to her.

"Whatever it is that you did, you could have warned her; maybe not in the beginning but later on when things started to change with your lover." She looked deeply into his eyes and said, "Yes. She was your lover. You grew to love her but not enough to tell her the truth. You were all that mattered."

Bill nodded as bloody tears fell from his eyes.

"May I ask you a personal question, Mr. Compton?"

He nodded once more.

A sad look was on her face as she spoke this time. "Whatever happened to her? Do you ever see her in passing? Do you ever wonder about her? Do you regret the things that you did to her?"

"I do regret what I've done to her. I would give everything that I have to take away the pain that I caused her. But I …I hadn't thought of her in years. She ...she was not even a memory to me ...until tonight. Things have happened …"

"Yeah," she said sardonically. "Things happen."

"Let me explain my meaning. She ...she was ...," Bill stuttered. He didn't know what to say without giving the truth away so he didn't mention her anymore. Instead he took a different route. "I think that my actions made her a better person."

"What?!" Sookie exclaimed. For the first time since talking with Bill, Sookie's face and voice betrayed her emotions.

In a meek voice, Bill said, "My actions made her stronger. They made her even more determined. She found a love that is more than she ever expected in her life. The one that she is with now is an honorable … man. She is living the happiness that she desperately longed for. Her fears of being alone have vanished. She's stronger than I could have ever imagined. And she's happy."

Sookie looked beyond surprised. "Are you saying that your deceitfulness was a blessing to her? Are you saying that she should thank you for the way that you treated her? Is that what you're saying?"

"No, I'm not saying that all," he started to say.

"You're a piece of work, Mr. Compton."

"I didn't mean it that way. I only meant that …" Bill reached out to touch her but she stopped him with just one look.

"Only one man touches me and that is my husband."

Pleadingly, Bill said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way that it sounded. I don't want to take credit for her happiness. I'm only saying that the pain that I caused her didn't break her. I didn't …" He didn't even bother to finish his sentence. He knew that it wouldn't make a difference.

"Earlier, Mr. Compton, you said that I have to believe you."

"Yes. I am telling you the truth."

Her voice was calm once more. "Why should I believe you? I don't know you but from what I've learned about you tonight, I'm definitely not in the mood to trust you. You haven't earned it. You must really think I'm a naïve and gullible woman. You'd have to, to think that I would automatically trust anything that you have to say. I'm not going to fall for the cool brown eyes and the innocent doe-eyed look," she added.

Whatever hope he had remaining that Sookie was going to be welcoming to him, appeared to be vanishing with each passing second. For the first time since I've met Bill Compton, he couldn't hide his true emotions. His face betrayed him. Sookie didn't seem to notice. No. I take that back. She noticed but she didn't care. She didn't care at all and she didn't try to hide it. She wanted him to see it. She wanted him to know where he stands with her.

"But," Bill started.

"There are no buts, Mr. Compton. I walk in here tonight and I hear you trying to get my husband to hide things from me and you have the audacity to ask me to trust you?"

"Forgive me," Bill said as he stood from his kneeling position. He looked from Sookie to me and said, "Eric, if you request it of me, I will leave your area upon sunset tomorrow evening. I do not wish to cause discord in your home with your wife. I don't want to cause any more damage than I already have."

"Too late," Sookie said under her breath. She playfully nudged me with her elbow. My lover was not mad at me after all.

"Sookie," I said. "If you request it, I will send him away and have him to never return."

She shook her head no. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. He's your underling. I'm not afraid or concerned for our or my children's safety. We can handle him if need be. It shouldn't come to that as long as he stays away from them and away from us." I could almost see Bill shudder at the sound of those words.

Giving my attention to Bill, I said, "You will only come into town when you have been summonsed. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Bill replied.

For good measure, I also decided to take this opportunity to let Sookie know that I've never had any intentions of hiding anything from her. "And as I told you before, Bill, all that we've discussed tonight, I will not hide from her. I will tell her everything."

Sookie took my hand. "Eric, are we done here?"

"Yes, lover," I answered.

"Good," she said. "Since there's nothing more for us to do, we need to get home so that you can go to rest. The sun will be up soon and we've wasted enough time here." Looking at Bill one last time, Sookie asked, "I trust that when the time comes for us to handle the FotSs and the BVA you will be on hand?"

Staring into space, Bill said, "Yes, my queen."

"Before we go, I have to ask you another question."

"Okay."

Gripping my hand tighter, she said, "If you didn't love your human lover enough to be honest, how can you possibly expect us to believe anything that you have to say? How are we supposed to trust you at all?"

Standing tall and sure of himself, Bill said, "I guess I'll have to prove myself to you. I will earn your trust and I will show you that I am not the selfish and heartless vampire that you believe me to be. I will earn your respect and trust, my queen."

Sookie almost smiled. "Yeah well, we'll see."

He bowed to us both and said, "I will show you."

"Now," she said as she looked up at me. "Let's get you home."

With that being said, Sookie pulled me out of Bill's house. She didn't even give me a chance to close the doors behind me. My lover dragged me from Bill's yard, through the cemetery, and back to her car. She didn't say one single word to me all the way there. The only time she released my hand was when she was in the driver's seat of the car. I stood in front of the car and looked at her.

With her hands gripping the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white, she glared at me. "What are you waiting for, Eric …an invitation? Come on let's get home. You need to get your rest today, buster, because tomorrow night, you've got a lot of explaining to do."

For the first time since I've been a vampire, I wanted to rest for as long as I possibly could.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope that you enjoyed. Happy Sunday!**


	62. Chapter 62

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 62**

**Thanks everyone for the well wishes on my new career. I want to especially thank you for sticking with me and taking the time to read and especially review this story. I can never say it enough. You guys are the very best and I truly mean it. I also want to add that the SVM stories belong to Charlaine Harris. I am just playing with them. The idea is mine but the characters belong to her. This disclaimer goes for all past, present, and future chapters that I've forgotten to include the disclaimer on.**

**S/N: Because you guys have given me so many reviews, I worked extra hard on this chapter. I couldn't bear to make you all wait for as long as I did last time. Breaks and lunches were well spent. Thank you guys so much. I can't promise that it will happen again but you guys were my motivation. Thank you all so much.**

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><p>As I was long striding it down the hall to Mr. Haynes office, Amelia was stepping out of the elevator. She's never on this floor unless she's coming to see me and this was not going to be a friendly visit. From the look on her normally smiling and cheerful face, she was pissed off at me. Her colors weren't all that pretty to look at either.<p>

"Thanks for calling me and telling me that you weren't coming over last night. And don't worry. I didn't mind the fact that I didn't get so much as freaking phone call this morning either! You're so thoughtful!"

"No good morning?" I knew that would piss her off even more. I don't know why I said it.

"You ...you ...you make me so mad! You owe me some type of an apology, Sookie Stackhouse! You had me staying up waiting on you last night. You didn't answer my call and you didn't buy the ice cream!"

I didn't have time to talk to her; I had to get to Mr. Haynes office before his secretary showed up this morning. I wanted to talk to Amelia. I wanted to tell her everything that happened last night but I couldn't. I just didn't have the time. I'll tell her later. She'll understand once I explain everything to her.

"I'm sorry about all that and anything else that I might do in the future that is or may be beyond my control. Oh queen, Amelia Broadway, please forgive me. I'll talk to you later! You know that I love you!"

Just as I cut the corner, I heard her yelling, "You owe me lunch and not at that horrible Jack in the Box either, you smart mouthed, little ingrate!"

When I reached Julia's desk, I was glad to see that she hadn't arrived. Mr. Haynes and I needed a little privacy for our meeting this morning; a meeting that he knew nothing about. There was so much that we needed to discuss and we didn't need any witnesses …bystanders. Yeah, I meant bystanders. That sounds so much more innocent than witnesses, don't 'cha think?

When I was just feet from his office door, I slowed down my stride and smoothed down the front of my suit jacket and tugged at my skirt. Today I was wearing a black skirt suit with a lavender blouse. The skirt came just above my knees and the lavender heels accentuated the shapeliness of my legs. I knew that he would love it.

Mr. Haynes is always staring at the legs of every woman in this building; especially if he couldn't get a look down our blouses. I don't normally play the sex appeal card but I needed to get into his head. There is so much at stake here and there is no room for error; so many what ifs are going through my mind.

What if Bill doesn't know who Mr. Haynes is? Maybe that's why he didn't answer my question. Another reason he didn't answer my question could be that I caught him off guard. What if Bill's working for another king behind Eric's back and that's why he didn't answer me? They could be plotting take over my husband's territories. There are just too many other possibilities.

Another what if is what if Mr. Haynes hadn't been glamored but had been warned about me instead? If that Arlene woman knew about me, who else knows about me? What if he knew what I could do and he was told to keep his mind empty because I can get into his head? That could be another reason why he wants my children. He could know that I'm different and he's probably assuming that they're different as well.

As I approached Mr. Haynes office door, I could hear him … his mind, his thoughts. He was expecting a phone call; an important phone call that he couldn't risk missing. Mr. Haynes was a determined man and nothing was going to get in his way. He was thinking that one call would change the quality of his life and the life of this agency forever. Everything that he's ever wanted was going to be his with this one phone call. I guess I have to make sure that I am in his office when the phone call comes in.

Knocking on his door, I peeked into his office and said, "Mr. Haynes, may I come in?"

When he saw me and my cleavage, his eyes widened and he stood up. "Come in, Miss. Stackhouse. Please, come in."

Delicious

Pervert but my planned worked just as I'd expected it to. When I sauntered into his office, his eyes went from my breasts to my legs and back to my breasts again. He didn't even have the decency to try and hide the fact that he was ogling me. Did I mention that he is a disgusting old man?

"Good morning," I said sweetly as I walked towards him.

He inhaled deeply and tried holding in his bulbous gut. Sadly, it didn't work so he began trying to tug his too tight jacket over his burgeoning belly. After a few seconds of trying and failing miserably, he decidedly gave up. Pointing to the seat in front of his desk, he offered it to me. "Please sit down. As always, Ms. Stackhouse, it is always a pleasure to see you and a surprise. I didn't expect to see you this morning."

I reached across his desk and shook his hand. As I sat down, I crossed my legs and said, "I know. I've been thinking about your suggestion. You know, letting another therapist help me with my children? Well, it kept me up most of the night. If you want to know the truth, I couldn't think of anything else."

"Yes, yes," he said as he sat down. "Before we begin, I have to tell you Miss. Stackhouse, you look quite fetching this morning."

"Thank you," I grudgingly replied.

I don't think he heard a word that I'd said. He kept staring at my cleavage and my legs. He licked his lips several times and I think he even moaned a little …perverted asshole. I had to clear my throat in order to get him back to the here and now.

"Mr. Haynes?"

"Oh, yes, yes," he said as he pulled at his collar. "Now what was I saying. Oh, now I remember. What I was saying yesterday is that those clients of yours are too emotionally involved with you and that's not healthy; for you or the clients. You very seldom take time off for yourself. I figure that if you have some free time, you will be able to do more for you. You know, take longer vacations, visit friends and family. Maybe if you'd broaden your circle of friends, you could have a more suitable personal life."

Now that comment caught me off guard. My personal life has nothing to do with my job. What does he know about my personal life anyway?

"Excuse me?" I asked.

As he was thinking of something to say, an image of Eric flashed in his mind. I saw two men, each wearing Ephraim Zimbalist suits sitting outside of the bar. They were watching us as we'd enter and leave the bar. They weren't a part of the group that we'd killed last night. They're a different set of assholes. They've been following me and Eric. He's not Bill's contact. Someone else has Mr. Haynes on the payroll.

"What do you know about my personal life, Mr. Haynes? I never bring my personal life to work. I've never mentioned what I do after work with anyone here."

He tugged at the lapel of his jacket as he leaned back in his seat. "There are rumors around the workplace that you are dating a vampire …one of the undead. I hear that he's from Shreveport. They say that he's very popular among his kind and the humans. He seems to be quite popular with the ladies." Mr. Haynes must have seen something in my eyes because he back pedaled rather quickly. "What I mean by that is that they find him to be quite alluring; to each his _or_ her own. Everyone deserves to be with someone. Don't you concur?"

"I do."

"But do you think that is a good idea to consort with a vampire considering that your clients just so happen to be children?"

"My personal life is just that, mine. What I do outside of work has no bearing on how I communicate with my children. Excuse me for my bluntness but whomever I consort with outside of work is none of your business or anyone else's for that matter. I think it's in everyone's best interest to keep my business as my business."

Steepling his fingers and leaning onto his desk so that he could get a better look down my blouse, Mr. Haynes said, "Please, don't get offended but the parents of your clients may not think that it's just your business. It would be quite …what is the word to use? Ahhh, it would be quite scandalous …no, unfortunate. Yes, it would be quite unfortunate if they found out that you were dating a vampire and working with their children. I would hate for something like that to get out. It could destroy you and everything that you've worked so hard for. Your impeccable reputation would be tarnished ...damaged beyond repair. It would be a pity." His lecherous smile broadened.

My calm and cool demeanor vanished. "Are you threatening me?"

The sound of my voice and the look in my eyes must have frightened him because he almost fell out of his seat. He began shaking his head back and forth but before he could speak, I let him know how I felt.

I sat tall in my seat and stared him square in his eyes. "Don't tell me that you're trying to intimidate me because if you are, Mr. Haynes, there's apparently something that you don't know about me. I can't be intimidated and I'm more than proficient when it comes to doing my job on my own."

Shaking his head and causing his comb over to shift, he said, "I would never threaten you, Miss Stackhouse. I was just making an observation. If the truth got out about you and the vampires, some of the parents may become uneasy. That is why I came up with the idea to have someone help you with your clients."

I cocked my head to the side and smiled. "You are threatening me."

He only stared.

"So you've already decided to take my children away from me?"

He started shaking his head as he answered me. "I'm not taking them away from you because they are not your children. What I'm giving you is peace of mind. The therapist that is going to help you is new in town. He used to be government official. He's worked with …special people before."

"I don't need any help," I reiterated.

_Don't give anything away. Keep smiling and looking at those beautiful tits and those gorgeous legs. Don't get nervous, Conrad. Stay calm. Stay calm. She can read your mind. She can read your mind._

"But he's worked with special people before," he repeated.

A wisp of a smile appeared on my face. "What kind of special people; people that see things …people that sense danger… people that can read minds? Do you mean those kinds of people, Mr. Haynes? People like me?"

He squeezed his eyes closed.

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! She's in my head. She's in my fucking head. He warned me. He said that is why she is so good with those oddball weirdos He said that she is just like them. He thought that she was gone but when he saw her, he knew that she'd lied to him in the past. He knew when he saw her with that boy; the boy that she's working with. And he was right. That son of a bitch was right! She is different. What the fuck is she?!_

His eyes widened when I stood from my seat.

_Shit. She heard me! No, she didn't hear me. She doesn't look like she heard me. Did she hear me? No. I don't think she heard me._

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, I did. I heard you."

His face was sweaty and red. He had to loosen his tie in order to breathe but I didn't think that was for the best. I pointed my finger at his tie and worked my magic. His tie began to tighten and he began to feel afraid. He looked at his tie and grabbed at it.

"What's happening?"

"Your tie is getting tighter, silly," I said. "I'm going to choke you until you tell me what I want to know. For every time that you lie to me, I'll make the tie tighter; like this." Just by closing my hand into a fist, I tightened his tie. "And I'll do it over and over again until you tell me exactly what I want to hear."

His face became redder than before. The corners of his mouth began to froth. He shook his head back and forth in the hopes that he would be able to breathe for just a little longer.

I looked down at the red faced man and said, "Have I made myself clear?"

He nodded.

I loosened his tie and told him to tell me what was going on. I wanted to know what he was up to. "I'm all ears, Conrad."

"Let me explain my motives, Miss. Stackhouse. I only want to help you. I only want to lighten your load. I only want to be of assistance to you. You work so hard. You can't give those children your best if you're worn out and you're spending all of your nights with a vampire."

I made my hand into a fist and squeezed. "You're not saying what I want to hear, Conrad."

He coughed and wrangled in his seat. "I didn't mean it that way!" he exclaimed. "I only want to help you! Please let me help you!"

I loosened my grip on his tie. I smiled shyly at him and shook my head in disbelief. "Maybe something was lost in the translation. Let me make things a little easier for you. If you don't tell me what I want to know, you will die. If you lie to me, you will die. If you don't give me what I want, you will die. Do you get me, Conrad? Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes," he gasped.

Just as he answered, there was a knock at his office door. "Mr. Haynes, it's me, Julia. Do you want your coffee now? The coffee shop has opened. I think they have cronuts this morning. "

I shook my head no just as he opened his mouth to speak. I turned to the office door and speaking in Mr. Haynes' voice, I said, "I can't be disturbed right now, Julia. I'm about to make an important phone call. Take the day off. I'll be tied up for the rest of the day on this conference call and I won't have time for much else. Before you go, cancel all of the appointments that I have for today. Tell them anything. Tell them that I'll be out of the office."

I could almost see the smile on Julia's face. "I will! Thank you, Mr. Haynes," she eagerly answered as she walked away.

Mr. Haynes stared at me as fear took over his face. "How did you do that?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I'm an impersonator during my spare time. Now, why do you want my children?"

His mouth opened and closed like a dying fish. He couldn't speak. My pudgy boss couldn't breathe. I'd tightened the tie without realizing it; oops.

"Oh," I giggled. I loosened his tie and repeated my question. "Why do you want my children?" A thought then popped into my head. "What a minute. Were you the one that tried to get into my office?"

He nodded his ugly, balding head. His big, bugged eyes were red; bloodshot red. His lips were blue and his comb over no longer existed. He had raggedy bangs now. It was almost comical but he knew that this was not a joke. Mr. Haynes had no choice but to tell me what I wanted to know if he wanted to live out the day. After thinking it over, I guess it really didn't matter what he told me. He wasn't going to live out the day.

"I was but I didn't take anything! I couldn't get in! I was going to try and take your files on the children but I didn't. I tried to but I didn't. You have to believe me!"

Why is he the second person to say that to me in less than 24 hours?

I waggled my finger at him. "You naughty, naughty boy," I chided. "What am I supposed to think when you do something like that …so sneaky, so underhanded?"

His eyes widened. "I only decided to join in because I wanted to help you and your clients …those children."

"You mean those oddballs …those weirdos?"

"You heard that? It was joke." He laughed nervously.

I closed my fist.

He squirmed in his seat. "Okay, okay," he squawked.

"No name calling," I said.

He nodded weakly.

When I released him, he apologized and continued on with his feeble excuse. "Those children are special. They can do so much for the government. They can help find missing people. They can keep the United States ahead of the other countries. They can make us the super country of the world. Do you realize how powerful we could be as a nation?" Then there was a flash of something even bigger in his eyes. "And you! You could be with the children. We could cut out the middle man. You and I could do this! We don't need their help. Think about it; Conrad and Sookie. We could change the name of the agency to Haynes and Stackhouse. Or hey, your name can be first; Stackhouse and Haynes. We could make a fortune. People from all over the world would come to us for help."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You're serious?"

There was really no need for me to ask that question because I could see in his head that he was. He had us traveling all over the world. He had plans to charge people to see the '_special_' people. He thought that this was really going to happen.

"Think about it," he said. "We could be rich and famous."

I shook my head no as I spoke to him. "We don't want to be rich and famous. We want to be left alone. We don't want people to know what we can do. We don't want to be seen as freaks and used as sideshows. Don't you get it? That's why their parents have come to me. That's why their parents trust me. I will keep their children safe. I help to make their lives as normal as possible. I can't let you destroy what they've worked so hard towards."

Mr. Haynes was almost jumping out of his seat with excitement. "I've talked to the parents …"

Again, I was caught off guard. I've always told the parents to keep quiet. I told them that they would be putting their children in danger. I've always told them to never admit to anyone that their children have special talents and they all agreed. And now, all of a sudden, they change their minds and betray them? No, that doesn't make any sense to me.

"Are you telling me that they willingly told you about their children's gifts?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I told them that I'm your boss and that I knew that once I've talked to you that you would be on board. They didn't buy it but they said that if you went along with it, they would think about it."

No, they didn't. Please, just go along with it. Please, just go along with it.

"You're lying," I stated. "Did you forget that I can read your mind?" I shook my head in disappointment. "You really are a very stupid man … a very stupid man."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, well, it's okay. My stupidity doesn't really matter. What does matter is the deal that I've tried to set into place. I told them that there are many opportunities for their children. They don't want their children in the limelight but I know that if you talk to them, you can get them to do it."

"No," I said.

_If that little boy Hunter doesn't keep his mouth shut, they're going to take him anyway. They want him to keep talking. He talks about what he can do and he doesn't try to hide it. If we can get one, we can get them all._

I shook my head as I spoke to him. "I'm happy to tell you that you won't get any of them. Tell me, how do you know Hunter?"

He looked as if he'd just seen a ghost. He didn't know what to say or what to do so he did the next best thing. He sat there and stared at me.

When he noticed me closing my fist, he started talking. "My wife teaches him. She was telling me about the little boy that always seems to know what people are thinking. I saw him when I went to pick her up and I noticed that he was one of your clients."

"Who else knows about my children?"

Conrad's frustration began to show. "They are not your children! They are clients! That is why you need to let someone else take these clients. You act as if you are their mother. You are not their mother. You are not their protector. You are no more than their therapist."

The air in the room changed. I walked around to the other side of Mr. Haynes desk and stared into his eyes. "Those children have always been my responsibility. I have always been their protector. Those children are _mine_."

"I understand that you think that they are yours because you're helping them to become better at what they can do and you are doing a wonderful job. I've never believed you to be anything but an excellent therapist."

He was trying to pacify me with his backhanded compliments. And from the look in his eyes, he thought that I was falling for his line of shit. He even had the audacity to smile at me.

"I understand that if you're around someone for a great length of time that you grow attached to them; just as you've become attached to those clients of yours but they are not your children."

It angered me that he would say that they aren't mine. They are mine. They are my responsibility. They can't make it in this world without me. I want them to be proud of who they are and what they can do. They need me. I am the one that has to keep them safe. If they're not safe here, all is lost.

"They are _my_ children."

The anger in my eyes and the hatred in my voice didn't seem to deter him in his quest to get me to go along with his plan. "Miss. Stackhouse let me go. Let me do what's best for those children. Let me give them a life that will be filled with helping people and making them an important part of this world."

"No," I said. "I can't let you have their freedom. I can't let you condemn them to a life of servitude. I won't let you do that to them."

He pointed at me and said, "It is not your decision to make. You are not their parent. You cannot make such decisions for them. Just because you say that they are your children, doesn't make it so. Look," he continued. "If you would just settle down and maybe date a human man, you would be able to have children of your own instead of latching on to someone else's. That is your option if you want children. Don't try to take someone else's."

His hurtful words were replaying over and over again in my head and the more I heard it, the angrier I became. I wanted to kill him but I didn't have time.

I turned his eyes towards mine and told him what's going to happen tonight. I let him know what his new plan was going to be. "Twenty minutes after the sunsets this night, you will go to a bar called Fangtasia and you will approach a vampire named Eric Northman. He's tall, blond, and extremely handsome. You will tell him that you were sent there to kill the bitch known as Sookie Stackhouse. You will tell him that you are not leaving until you kill me." Smiling at him, I added, "He'll make sure that you never leave that bar. Is that good for you?"

"Yes," he said as he nodded.

"Does that make you happy?"

"Yes."

"Since you're going to talk to Eric Northman tonight, you're going to forget all about the children, right?"

"What children?" he asked.

"Precisely," I said as I stood upright and looked down at our enemy.

He smiled at nodded.

"There is only one more thing that you have to tell me. Who is supposed to call you today? You know your governmental contact… the one that wanted to take my children away from me?"

Conrad continued to smile. "His name is Agent Lattesta. He works for the BVA. Did you know that he started the BVA? He told me that he is the leader of the group. His agenda is to rid the world of the useless supes but he wants to keep the ones that could be beneficial to this country. The supes like you and your children are valuable. The Weres are useless but the vampires; he said that there has to be something that they can be used for and believe me, he has figured some things out about them."

I cocked my head to the side and frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

"They have some vampires being held captive. I don't know what they do with them or where they keep them but they have them. He also said that they may keep the shifters but it depends on what they shift into. They haven't really decided yet. That's why I've been trying to build up our supe clientele. They've offered me tons of money to get them as many supes as I can. He said that I could use you to do it."

"You're not going to do that now. You're not going to be able to them," I said soothingly.

"That's right. I have other plans. There's something bigger that I have to do. Twenty minutes after the sunsets, I have to go about killing you," he said with a smile. "Did I do well? Did I give you what you are looking for? You won't squeeze my neck with your finger or you fist anymore, will you? You won't hurt me?"

Slapping his sweaty, bald head, I said, "No. I won't squeeze your neck and I won't hurt you. You just be sure to talk to Eric Northman. If he's not at Fangtasia, you stay there and you wait on him. You'll know him when you see him. Okay? You go right to Fangtasia twenty minutes after the sunsets. You don't go anywhere else. For the rest of the day, you will stay in this office and wait until the sunsets."

"When that happens, I go to Fangtasia and ask for Eric Northman. I tell him that I'm going to kill you and he'll help me out."

"He most definitely will."

As I smiled at Mr. Haynes, his phone began to ring.

"Mr. Haynes speaking," I said as I answered the phone.

The real Mr. Haynes looked up at me and smiled. "You do that really well."

I put my finger to mouth me and shushed him. He pretended to zip his lips as he continued to smile at me.

"Hello, Mr. Haynes. Agent Lattesta; we had a phone call scheduled for 10 am. It's 10 am."

"Yes," I said. "I've been waiting for your call. I was wondering; is there a place where we can meet privately? I've made some progress and boy have I got some news for you. We can't speak over the phone. Is there a place that we can meet? We can't be seen together, you know. Our plan will be shot to shit if we're seen together."

Lattesta chuckled. "Calm down, Conrad. Everything will work out just as we planned it. And yes, we can meet but first tell me. Do I have access to the children? Please tell me that I have access to the children."

"Better than that," I said in Mr. Haynes' voice. "I've got Miss. Stackhouse herself on board. She volunteered to come with them. She said that she would never let the children go without her. With her on board, there's no way the parents will say no. We will run this country." I threw in a maniacal laugh just for the fun of it.

Agent Lattesta couldn't contain his excitement as he rattled off a secret address for us to meet. "I have been after her for quite some time. We will be the most powerful faction in the agency." He didn't give me a chance to answer. He continued giving orders. "Be sure to bring the files of each child. I need pictures and personal information on them and their parents. If you can, you need to try once again to get into her computer files."

I shook my head. "I'll try. There's no guarantee I'll be able to get to them. I told you, she's a very private person; especially when it comes to those children of hers but I will try. I promise you, Agent Lattesta, I will give you everything that's coming to you," I said. "I'm on my way. And Agent Lattesta?"

"Yeah."

"You will not live to regret this day. You have my word."

"I can't wait." I could hear the smile in his voice when he hung up the phone.

As I patted Mr. Haynes soon to be dead head, I said, "Neither can I, Agent Lattesta. Neither can I."

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all have enjoyed this chapter. Have a great weekend!**


	63. Chapter 63

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 63**

**Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and making this story one of your favorites and alerting to it. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.**

**In the books, Sookie's and Agent Lattesta's conversations were a little different than the one that I'm going to put into this chapter. I think that a little more needed to be said and little more needed to be explained. So, I used some of Ms. Harris conversation between them and used a little bit of my own.**

**I would also like to say that I don't own these characters. They belong to Charlaine Harris. I just own the story idea.**

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><p>"Eric, I have a few errands to run before I come to you. As soon I get to you, there are a few things that we need to discuss. I promise you, I will be back a little after sunset. I love you."<p>

I looked at my sleeping enemy after I left Eric the message. He looked so peaceful … so harmless. If a stranger had seen him, they'd think that he was having beautiful and happy dreams. They wouldn't have known what type of man he really is. But I do. When I looked at him, I saw him for what he really was.

A dangerous and evil man; he's nothing more than that.

As I stared at him, I remembered Agent Tom Lattesta. Oh, yes. I remember him very well. He came to my house. He didn't come by for a friendly visit. He didn't come by for a glass of iced tea. He came by because he hated me and he wanted me to know it. As a matter of fact, there was only one other emotion that he had for me that was stronger than his hate and that was fear. He was terrified of me.

Anyway, he'd arrived at my house to give me some news. He was alone and he was angry. He was also quite nosy if you want to know the truth about it. Being the great hostess that I was raised to be, I let him in and he made himself comfortable. Though I could see that he hated and feared me, I offered him a drink. He declined the drink but he took a seat on the recliner. I can see him sitting in my living room just as clearly as I see him now. The weird thing is that on that day, I can also see that there is another person in the room with us but I don't know who it is.

I called someone downstairs with me when Lattesta showed up. It is always been polite to let the people that live with you know if there is company in the house. I don't know who the person was but I know that it was a man. It was a man without a face. I knew that it wasn't Eric because it was during the daylight hours. This man had a towel wrapped around his waist. If I were a different type of woman, I would think that I was sleeping with him but it was nothing like that. No matter how I try, I can't seem to see who…

Well, I'll be John Brown!

Lattesta was investigating me because of the help that I given the local police when the Pyramid of Gizah was blown up by the FoTSs members. There was someone else that helped me find the people that were hurt during that bombing. They wanted to know what we were and how we found the people that were hurt in the blast but we didn't tell him. We knew that we couldn't tell him. It didn't matter though. He was determined to find out what we were and what we could do.

Lattesta visited me on another day but he wasn't alone. He'd brought a partner with him; a woman. I think that he thought that would make me tell him. Needless to say, it didn't work. There was no way in this world that I was going to tell him what I was even if I'd known what I was. He wanted to take us to use for the FBI and since he couldn't get the both us, he settled on me but his plans fell through.

"You're no longer a subject of investigation," he said.

"Really, now?" I asked. "Why am I no longer going to be investigated by you?"

Not that I was going to miss seeing his evil eyes and hearing his nasty thoughts, I was glad that he was no longer going to be a part of my life; no matter how small a part he played. I did have one question for him though. I wanted to know what caused such changes to come about when only a couple of weeks ago he was determined on taking me with him.

He gave me a leveled stare as he spoke. "You must know some very powerful people, Miss. Stackhouse." His tone was beyond bitter and nasty. "Someone in our government doesn't want your name to be publicly known. Every file that we've ever had with your name in it has mysteriously disappeared. How is that possible, Miss. Stackhouse?"

My great-grandfather had saved me once again. I smiled at Lattesta; though he couldn't see it. He didn't want to see it. Anyway, I recalled thinking that my great grandfather had to have spent a large amount of money to get me out of the limelight with the FBI. Well, I was wrong. Niall hadn't spent a dime. My great-grandfather didn't make threats to them either. He made promises; promises that he intended to keep. And faeries always keep their promises.

Anyway, Lattesta's visit to me was odd. He could've called me to tell me that I was no longer on his hit list but no he couldn't do that. No, he had to come to my home and insult me.

"You didn't have to come here and tell me that. You could've made a call or mailed a letter. Your presence was not necessary. So, tell me why you're really here."

Lattesta completely ignored my comments. "There's something wrong about you," he said. His fake friendliness and his stiff smile were gone. His facial expressions matched what was going on in his head; evil and anger. "You're not like other humans. I don't think that you are human. You're something more than that but I don't know what. There's something off about you. I just can't put my finger on what it is."

"So you say."

His face was as red as I've ever seen it. "Tell me the fucking truth!" he yelled. He stared at me with angry eyes. He was thinking very ugly thoughts of me.

Then it happened. I could see the man that was wrapped up in the towel. It was my faery cousin, Claude. And then I saw the other person. It was Hunter. Hunter Savoy was in my living room. Why was Hunter in my house? Did I know Hunter in my past life? The man's evil and ugly stare brought me back to reality.

"Tell you the truth about what?" I asked Lattesta innocently.

I wanted to hear what he'd say. I knew why he wanted me. He wanted to use my telepathy so that he could rise in the ranks at the Bureau. Too bad Lattesta; it's never gonna happen. I think my smile angered him.

"You're not human! You're a fucking freak!"

"Agent Lattesta," I said. I looked down at Hunter. "There's a child in this room and there is absolutely no reason for you to be rude and nasty. Maybe you need a stiff drink or a massage." Moving in closer to him so that Hunter couldn't hear me, I said, "I saw how you looked at my cousin Claude when he came downstairs. Would you like for him to rub the knots out of your back? I can tell that you would like it if he did. Did seeing him bring back those old college memories?"

Claude moved in as well and winked at Lattesta. Talking in his smooth voice, he said, "I give great ... rub downs. I can do a lot of things for you if that's what you want. By the look in your eyes, I can tell that that is what you want. You've had it done before haven't you, Tommy Boy?"

That was about the time Hunter began to move in closer and Claude and I took a step back away from the agent and ended our conversation with him.

Just as we moved away from him, Lattesta jumped up from the recliner. He was beyond angry. His face was as red as I've ever seen it. Hissing at me, he said, "That is not why I stared at him! I …I …I was surprised to see him and that's it! Forget that! I've been watching you, Miss. Stackhouse. I've been called off but I promise you that as soon as I'm able, I will be back. The very first chance I get, I'm coming for you and I'm coming with both barrels blazing!"

Claude looked deeply into Lattesta's eyes and I'd swear that Claude's eyes went from brown to black. "Don't make promises that you can't keep, sweetie. You have no idea who you're fucking with. Mark my words, Tommy Boy, you won't win this."

Agent Lattesta's eyes bore right through me and every single thought that he could possibly think, came with it. That's when Hunter spoke up and that's how Lattesta knew what Hunter could do.

"You shouldn't think bad thoughts about my Aunt Sookie." Hunter was furious. "You're a bad man. You're a very bad man."

Hunter had unknowingly put himself in harm's way. He'd exposed himself protecting me. I was so proud of him but had wished that he'd kept his mouth shut. Lattesta was as white as a ghost. Claude was laughing.

"He's scared of you, Hunter." Claude continued to laugh like a banshee.

Hunter looked at Claude and smiled and then he looked at Agent Lattesta. The smile was suddenly gone from Hunter's face. He returned his gaze to Claude and asked, "What do you mean that he _should_ be scared of me, Cousin Claude?"

Claude and I looked at each other and though we were surprised, we didn't show it. He didn't say that Lattesta should be scared of Hunter. He'd read Claude's mind. Even I couldn't read the mind of the fae but Hunter can? How was that possible?

Claude placed his hand on Hunter's shoulder and said, "We won't tell him, okay buddy? He doesn't deserve to know. If he ever comes back to bother Auntie Sookie, we'll surprise him, okay?" Looking at Agent Lattesta, he added, "We'll surprise him."

Hunter nodded and smiled a smile that I'd never seen on the face of a child before and it sent chills through me. It scared me then but when I think about it now, I'm proud of him.

"Thanks for coming by to give me the good news, Agent Lattesta," I said in as mild a voice as I could muster up. "Next time, don't hesitate to call. You be careful now driving back to Baton Rouge or where it is that you came from. I'd hate for something to happen to you while you're leaving."

Lattesta pushed his way between me and Claude and ran for the front door. He turned back around and looked at us. "You're all nuts! You're all fucking freaks of nature!" He pulled the door open and ran out of the house. Needless to say, I followed him out of the house before the door could close. When he was walking down the stairs to his car, he began fiddling with something in his pocket. And from that pocket, I saw him pull a small tape recorder. He must've sensed me behind him because he spun around and dropped the recorder. Before he could pick up, I ran to where the recorder was, picked it and politely placed it in my pocket.

"You don't mind if I keep this do you?"

"You would use a child. That's low even for you…whatever it is that you are." This was the second time today that he ignored me.

I looked at him sharply for a minute. I decided to give him what he wanted. "You're worried about your son. He's Hunter's age and he's autistic. You're worried about the meeting that you have to go to because it may not go well for you and Agent Weiss. You're afraid for Agent Weiss because you know that she believes that I'm a psychic and if she mentions it, she may get fired. You're even more scared because of the way that you reacted to Claude. You thought that those feelings had gone away when you'd gotten married. Claude brought those feelings back to the surface. You're mad because you went to your superiors and gave them a full plan on how to handle the supes in this world and they stole it from you. That's how they came up with the BVA. You're especially mad because I know people that can make you back off and leave me alone. You're wondering how a barmaid with big tits in a po' dunk town can have such connections."

Though it was springtime and not hot enough for anyone to be sweating, Lattesta was sweating profusely. His body was pressed so close to the side of his car that if he could have, he would have fused himself into the door. Back then, I thought that I was a fool for saying anything to him but now, I wish that I had said more, done more.

"I wish that I could tell you who told you to back off but it would terrify you. You would never be the same again." As I turned to go back to the house, I could feel his eyes on me. When I went into the house, I could hear his car roaring down the driveway. His tires were spinning out my beautifully lain gravel. That was the last time I'd seen or heard from Agent Lattesta. That is until today.

Today, he sat across me in a chair as I looked at him; his naked body all out in the open for everyone to see; if they really cared to look. There wasn't much there to bother with. It was quite sad looking if you want to know the truth. I feel bad for his poor wife.

As I giggled as his unimpressive physique, Agent Lattesta's head began to move back and forth. Moans began to build up in his throat. When he opened his eyes, I could see that he was still groggy. Being the bigger and better person, I decided to let him get his bearings but only for a few seconds.

Slapping his face, I said, "Wake you, Tom. You have been sleeping for far too long. You can't sleep the rest of the day away. You'll miss the sunset and sunsets are beautiful."

Tom looked at me and blinked several times. "Conrad?" he asked. "Why are you doing this? Do you want the children and the fame for yourself? I told you that we would do this together. There is no need for you to worry about being left out. I told you that you would be the main liaison when it came to questioning the supes. There is no reason for you to feel threatened. I gave you my word."

I stood up from my chair and smiled down at Lattesta. I was still wearing Conrad's too little gray suit. I was still wearing his unattractive face and balding head.

"I can see why you've made that mistake. Here, let me fix it." With a wave of my hand, I was once again Sookie Stackhouse, vampire lover and telepath extraordinaire.

Agent Lattesta didn't flinch. He had an all knowing look on his face. "I knew that something was off about you during our first meeting. I knew that you weren't human. I fucking knew it! I told Agent Weiss that you weren't psychic and that you weren't human!" He tried standing up but realized that he couldn't. He was surprised; especially since there was no rope or tape keeping him in place. "What the …?"

While he tried getting away, I realized that things had changed since I'd been out of his life. He's no longer afraid of me. I'd have to change that.

I fanned him off. "Don't worry about that. I had to improvise." I went back to my seat to sit down. "Well," I said as I threw my hands up in the air. "And as far as me not being human, guess what? You were right."

Lattesta looked angry and his mind was a plethora of insults and accusations. He didn't speak any of them. Instead he asked me about his partner. "Where's Andrews? Did you kill him?"

I shook my head no. "I had no reason to kill him. As a matter of fact, I'm not going to kill either of you … if I don't have to but he's fine. He's sitting right beside you." I pointed with my head to the chair that was beside Lattesta's.

He looked at his partner. He realized that they were both naked. He stared at his partner for a few seconds before he spoke to me again. "Is he dead?"

I shook my head. "I'm beginning to think that you don't trust me, Tom. How many times do I have to tell you that he's not dead? He's still alive. He's just …resting. He's a very long day."

"What did you do to him?" He must have noticed the smile on Andrews' face.

"You don't need to worry yourself about that. I leaned in and said, "What you need to be concerned with is what's going to happen to you."

"What do you want from us?"

I wanted to answer him but I began to giggle. The view was getting funnier and funnier by the second. "Are you cold?" I pointed at Lattesta's baby parts and filled the room with laughter. "No, you're not cold. You're freakin' freezing to death."

He would've closed his legs if he was able to. "Where are my …? Why the hell did you take my clothes off me?" He glanced at Andrews and saw that the cold hadn't affected him at all. Shame suddenly appeared on his face. "What did you do with our clothes?"

I pointed to the floor behind him. I couldn't stop laughing. He was getting angrier and angrier.

"What the fuck do you want from us?"

After my giggling fit, I calmed myself down and answered him. "I'm glad that you asked but let me lay down a one ground rule first. If you don't answer my questions truthfully, I will kill you." To emphasize my point, I placed a large saber on my lap. "As long as you answer me truthfully, I promise, I'll never have to use it. I won't leave a mark on you."

Tom knew that I was telling the truth. He could see it. I think he could feel it. He knew that whatever he had to say would be the only thing that kept him alive.

"Are you ready? Good. Who else knows about my children?"

He ignored me completely for the third time. What surprised me is that he was confident and sure of himself. He had a happy and triumphant look on his face. "You know that you will never get away with this? There are cameras all over this house. They're on the grounds. They're everywhere. They'll find you and you will pay for kidnapping two agents with the BVA. They are going to fucking fry you."

I placed my hand over my mouth to show him how afraid I was. "Oh my, are there really cameras all over this house and on the grounds? Well, I'm awfully glad that I came all the way over here in Mr. Haynes car and as Mr. Haynes. I don't know what I'd do if that police officer hadn't stopped me for speeding on the way over here. If I had been myself, I'd be in deep shit. I guess it's a good thing that I sprayed the camera lenses with black spray paint too. Oh, and don't worry. I made sure to look into the cameras and I made sure to give them a perfect view of Conrad's face. Is there anything else that concerns you?"

The triumphant look on Lattesta's face was soon replaced with defeat.

"I didn't think so, Lattesta."

"You're full of surprises, Miss. Stackhouse." His voice was a little softer and little humbler than it was before.

"You have no idea, Agent Lattesta. You have no idea. Now, if you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you'd answer my questions." I smiled demurely. Gran always said that a friendly smile will take you far in life.

"Go ahead."

"How many people know about my children? And remember, Agent Lattesta. I'll know if you're lying to me."

"No one," he answered.

I shook my head and sighed. "There's something that you don't know about me that you need to know. Maybe I should've told you this sooner. I'm fiercely loyal to those that I love and if I feel that my loved ones are in danger, I'm not as sweet as I am today. You see, I hurt people, Tom. My enemies; I hurt my enemies. I don't mean to be that way but I am and I enjoy it. You wouldn't like my bad side at all. Here, let me show you."

With a quick flick of my wrist, I sliced across Agent Andrews' chest. Lattesta screamed out. Andrews never moved. Andrews never stopped smiling.

"Now," I said. "Let's play nice, shall we? Who else knows about my children?"

"No one," he repeated.

Agent Andrews had a large X tattooed across his chest courtesy of my saber.

"I'm telling you the truth!" Lattesta screamed out.

I sliced again; this time across Andrews's face. I placed the tip of my saber to Andrews' neck. "Next time, I won't be as nice."

"Newlin!" he yelled out. "Steve Newlin knows but he doesn't know who they are. Conrad was supposed to bring the folders with the children's and their parent's information but as you can see, you showed up instead." Looking at Andrews', Lattesta said, "Please don't hurt him. He's new to the agency. He thought that the children were going to be used to weed out the bad agents and the supes."

He is such a liar.

"Please let him go."

"I'm sorry but I can't."

"You said that you weren't going to kill us."

Angrily, I said, "And I'm not."

"Well, let us go and let us do what we have to do."

"Why should I? You are part of a group that plans on wiping out an entire race of people. You want to dehumanize the supes. There is nothing good about what you do or what you stand for. You're a monster."

A short laugh escaped him. "I'm a monster? You're calling me a monster? How could we possibly dehumanize non-humans? Do you know what those children could do for us as a race of people…as humans? Do you realize what those children can do for their country? They could help us wipe out the killers. They could save the human race; even if they are like you. They could put us years ahead of the other countries … give us a leg up on our enemies."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was at a loss for words.

"Why can't you see them for what they are?" Lattesta continued. "They are dangerous and deadly. They needed to be contained and if they can't be contained, they need to be eliminated. They want to take over this world. They need to be stopped before that happens. We are becoming the minority. Your judgment is clouded because you're fucking one."

Being the lady that I am, I ignored that last remark. "You're one to talk. You thought that you were going to harness a group of extraordinary children and use them to obliterate an entire race of people and yes. They are people. They feel just as we do. They think. They love. They live. Who do you think you are? Do you actually believe that you are any different than the supes?"

He nodded as he spoke. "Yeah, I do. You can't compare me to a deader or a werewolf. You can't even compare me to the shifters. I'm nothing like those things. I'm a full-blooded human."

I looked at him in total disbelief. "Since you're so into saving lives, why were you trying to make these children do your dirty work for you? You were going to make them kill for you. You were going to take away their lives and their choices. Let me ask you Agent Lattesta, what were you going to do with the children when you were done with them? Keep them as prisoners for the rest of their lives?"

He wanted to justify what he was planning on doing but he couldn't. He wanted to speak but he stopped himself. I could see in his mind that no matter what I said, he wasn't going to acknowledge that I was right. As far as he was concerned, I wasn't human and what I had to say would only be wasted words. He was concerned with one thing and one thing only.

"What are you, Miss. Stackhouse?"

I looked thoughtfully at the cruel and naked man and thought about his question. How do I answer him? Do I answer him? Do I tell him the truth about me?

"I'm more than your small mind can possibly handle. I'm your every forbidden fantasy. I can be anything that you want me to be and everything that you've ever desired." Leaning in closer to him, I added, "I'm even more than that. Everything that you've ever feared, that's me. I'm your scariest and darkest nightmare. I greatest fear brought to life. Do you want to see?"

When he looked into my eyes, he saw them; his fantasies, dreams, nightmares, and fears. For the first time since being in my presence, Tom Lattesta was showing fear. He began squirming and fighting to get up from the chair. His mind was in shambles and he was beyond terrified. He wished that he could go back to the day that he'd heard about me. He would do things differently. He never would've come to my house. He wouldn't have volunteered to find out what I am. He realized that he wished that he'd never asked me what I was. He realized that he wished that he'd never heard the name Sookie Stackhouse.

"It's too late," I said to him.

My comment didn't make him squirm and fight any less. I let him continue on. I figured that once he was tired enough, he'd stop. I sat back, crossed my legs and watched him. The longer I watched him the more I realized that he wasn't going to stop.

"You are acting quite childish, Tom."

He kicked and squirmed some more. His chair began to rise up from the floor. He quieted down and pissed himself. Tom Lattesta was as white as a ghost. He looked around him at the floor and at me. His eyes widened with fear.

Stammering, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"If you don't cut it out, I'm going to have throw this chair against the wall and remember Tom, you'll still be sitting in it. You don't want to make me angry now, do you?"

He rapidly shook his head back and forth.

"Okay," I said as I gently placed his chair back on the floor. "Are you holding shifters hostage? And don't bother lying to me because I already know about the Weres." I readied my saber and this time it was aimed at Andrews' throat.

He closed his eyes and whispered, "Yes."

"Where are they?"

Without much hesitation or pause, he gave me the street name and the directions. "They're being guarded by several BVA snipers. They will shoot to kill if they see anyone trying to get in there. They will definitely kill the shifters if they catch them trying to leave." A light flickered behind his eyes. "You need me! If you want to get into the facility, you're going to need me!" He even had the audacity to smile. "You're going to have to let me go." Even his eyes held a flicker of hope. It pleased me to take that hope away.

I filled the room with laughter. "Do you think that I'm concerned with any of that? I don't care about snipers and guards. And by the by, I don't need you. Think about this, Tom. If I needed you, do you really think that you would be stuck in that chair? You are one silly agent. I can't believe that you've made it as far up the ladder as you have. You're not very bright," I said as I stood up and smoothed down the front of my skirt.

Tom looked afraid and surprised. "What are you saying? Where are you going?" He looked me up and down; sweat was pouring down his face. "You can't just leave me here! You said that you weren't going to kill us!"

Bending at the waist to look him in the eyes, I said, "And like I've said fifty times before, I'm not going to kill you but I can't stay here. My husband is about to rise and I have other business that I have to take care of. There are a few calls that I have to make and I sure can't make them here." As I whipped out my cell phone, I said to him, "The service is absolutely terrible in this area. I don't know how you've been able to conduct business so far out in the woods."

Lattesta almost looked confused.

"Did you forget about the shifters? Duh," I said as I crossed my eyes. "I have to call my friends to get them out. I'm not going to let you hold them captive."

He began whining and crying like an infant child. "You can't …you can't …how can you do this to us? We are humans! We don't deserve to be treated in such a manner!"

"I can and I will, Tom. Maybe in another time and another place, you would have gotten the recognition that you deserve for your brilliant ideas. And in that time and at that place, your supervisors wouldn't have stolen your ideas and you wouldn't have to resort to such extreme measures in order to be seen as a leader. You wouldn't have to do such cruel and heartless things to other people but as you can see," I said with a sweep of my arm. "This is not the time. This is not the place."

Tom began to beg. "Please, Miss. Stackhouse let me go. Andrews is dead. He definitely won't tell and I swear to you that I won't tell. Please I have a family."

"Are you kidding me?" I couldn't believe him. He still doesn't trust me. What am I going to have to do to get this man to trust me?

"Miss. Stackhouse, please," he begged. I have a son. He's sick …and my wife …my wife is pregnant. We're going to have a little girl. Please, you have to let me go. You have to let me go home to my family."

I was in awe at how selfish this man was. "How many vampires, Weres, and shifters have you killed …five …seven …thirteen?"

"But we …" he started.

"But we nothing," I said. "Did you ever consider the fact that they may have families and friends that love them?" As I looked into his eyes, I could see what he thought and felt about the supes. "Yeah, you considered it. You just didn't care. I'm so sorry, Agent Lattesta but I cannot let you go. And if I may say so, you are a very untrustworthy person and you're not quite trusting. I told you that I didn't kill Andrews and I told that I wouldn't kill you."

Lattesta looked at Andrews and shook his head. "No, you're wrong. He's dead."

I sighed as I walked over to Andrews and gently touched his face. "You can wakeup now."

Andrews opened his eyes and he was smiling. "Has the sunset yet?"

I looked out of the window behind him and nodded. "Almost," I answered. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you."

"I'm glad. You've had a very busy day."

Andrews agreed with me as Lattesta looked on in amazement. He couldn't believe the conversation that Andrews and I were having. He wondered why Andrews wasn't afraid of me. He was wondering why Andrews wasn't screaming bloody murder. He didn't seem to feel the wounds from the blade that had sliced his chest open.

"Because I told him that I wouldn't kill him," I said. "Andrews knew that I was telling the truth, didn't you Keith? You trusted me. You took me at my word."

"I did," he answered. Again he was smiling.

Placing my hand gently on to Andrews face, I said, "It was really nice meeting you and thanks for the information that you gave me. It almost matched up with what Tom told me but unlike you, Tom didn't tell me that you all had planned on killing the children's families once you'd taken them. He tried to make me believe that you knew nothing about the children and what you all were going to do with them. He's a liar."

Andrews agreed. "That's why no one in the Bureau or the BVA trusts him. He's a liar and he's sneaky. They'd told him that if he'd gone through with his plan, he'd get promoted but they lied. They never intended on promoting him."

Tom's face was whiter than before.

"You look surprised, Lattesta. You shouldn't be but it's okay. Andrews even told me where the vampires were. He told me what you all had been doing to them and how you were treating them. Chopping off limbs to see if they would grow back? Not feeding them to see how long they'd live. That is the crudest and the cruelest thing I've ever heard of. I'm glad that I was able to get those silver cages opened for them or else they never would have been able to get out after the sunset."

Tom really began fighting and squirming. He thrashed and yelled. I'd never heard so many profanities in all of my life. He called me every name that he could think of. I think that he even made some up.

"There's no need to be rude, Agent Lattesta." The alarm on my cell phone went off just then. It was sunset and within seconds, I was surrounded by vampires … hungry and maimed vampires.

Tom's screams got louder. Andrews continued to smile.

Bernard placed his hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, Miss. Stackhouse. We are in your debt. Please let your king know that whatever either of you need, we will provide. You have our allegiance."

Turning to face Bernard, I placed my hand on his chest. "You owe us nothing. You guys are fine and you are free and that's all that matters to me. Now, go on and feed; build up your strength." Returning my gaze back to the soon to be dead Agent Tom Lattesta, I said, "This meal is on me."

As I walked out of the room, the sounds of fangs fell all around me. I have to admit, it was a beautiful sound. It sounded even better when I heard Lattesta's screams. Tonight was starting out to be a good night.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all enjoyed and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!**


	64. Chapter 64

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 64**

**I hope that everyone had a great holiday. Thank ya'll so much for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. Y'all are absolutely wonderful. If you haven't noticed, working on this story makes my southern slang come out with a vengeance. I hope that ya'll enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>As I showered, I thought of the wonderful day that I'd had. I'd saved some vampires that obviously belonged to another monarch in the vampire political kingdom. I say that because Eric didn't say that any of his vampires were missing. Once they make their way back to their kingdoms, they are going to more than likely tell their kings or queens about how Eric sent his wife to save them and they are going to owe my dear, sweet husband big time. I told them that they didn't owe us anything but pride would make them bend to my husband's will. Vampires don't like to be indebted to another vampire so they will definitely volunteer their services. My next assignment was to pretend to be the boss of formerly alive Lattesta. I had to make a few calls to have the shifters released. That went way better than I had expected it to.<p>

Lattesta's cohorts were so afraid when they found out that the head of their department had been alerted to the details of their diabolical plan that they let the shifters go ...and unharmed too. They had an hour to release them or they would suffer the consequences. I let them know that I, their head honcho, had never been as disappointed in a team as I was in them. I let them know that I am, the head honcho, is a very dear friend of a very powerful vampire in Louisiana and when he found out about what my agents were doing, I, the head honcho, was distraught. I, the head honcho, am so distraught that I let them know that heads are going to roll from the top on down if they do not release those prisoners. I had to let them know that they are destroying the relationship I and my superiors have with said powerhouse. I, the head honcho, let my subordinates know that they are to have any and all files delivered to the offices of Conrad Haynes. They have been ordered to cut all contact with the supes until further notice. They have been ordered to stop any abuse of the supes ...all of the supes. Once that was done and thanks to the help of my dear friend Mustapha Khan, I, the head of the department made it a point to call the most important shifters and put it in their ear that Eric Northman had found their missing and that he was behind their release. I know that they will come to Eric's aid if he needs them. They believe in being paid back and paying back.

And to make my day even better, Mustapha let me know that he'd found most of his fellow Weres. They too, would stand with my husband in time of crisis. That is, if they can. Mustapha and some of his friends were able to get to the Weres but some of them were so far gone that there was no saving them. With their already low numbers, they've suffered a devastating loss. I'm sorry to say that even with what we did find out, we were too late for some but I was just as happy about the ones that we did get a chance to save. They won't be expected to come in full force to stand with my husband and me. They can't afford to but it doesn't really matter. We can handle what needs to be handled. We're not going to let the BVA or the FoTSs members defeat us. We are going to prevail. We will not bow down to our enemies. That is _not_ an option.

The smile on my face was causing my cheeks to hurt. Even with the sad news that Mustapha had given me, I couldn't believe how exhilarated I was feeling. My husband, children, and friends are safe …for now. Once we find The Burner and Steve Newlin, there will be no worries for any of us. I feel as if there is nothing that I can't do; especially when it comes to protecting my family and those that I love. My husband, my lover, and my friend; there isn't anything that I wouldn't do for him or my other vampires. Or any of the other vampires for that matter. The sight of the vampires taking their revenge out on Lattesta and Andrews was like a late birthday present for me. To know that those fucking agents would not have the chance to hurt another supe or human being again was beautiful. When the vampires descended upon them; especially Lattesta, I was beyond ecstatic. The look on his face made my heart beat faster. His screams sounded like the sweetest lullaby. Oh how I wish I could have joined in but I didn't have the time. I had to rush back to make sure that Conrad made it to his mission to have Eric help him kill me and from the feelings that I was receiving from Eric, I knew that Conrad had made it.

My baby was sending every emotion that was barreling through him to me in a flurry. I felt the rush of astonishment, protectiveness, and extreme and passionate fury tearing through the bond. I loved it! I have never felt anything like it and there are no words that could describe the feelings that he was bestowing upon me. Just as quickly as I felt the flurry of emotions, they were soon gone. They were soon replaced by pleasure and ecstasy. I knew that the feelings of ecstasy and pleasure were coming from the fact that he was _'taking care'_ of Conrad. I hurried and finished my shower so that I could get to him. I wanted him to have me waiting on him when he was done. I know what my hubby likes to do after a clean and fair kill. Well, after a dirty and unfair kill for that matter.

After showering and curling my hair, I decided that tonight I'd wear a periwinkle blue maxi dress with a matching cardigan sweater. It was cool autumn night and it was the perfect outfit. I knew that Eric would like it. Easy access. I put a little lip gloss on and pinched my cheeks for that natural look and smiled. I was almost ready. The finishing touch and I'd be ready to go; a spritz of Obsession. With that done, I was off and ready to go and see my man.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>When I arrived at the bar, I parked beside Eric. There weren't as many cars as usual and that surprised me. It's a Thursday night and Fangtasia is usually jumping. I saw that Pam and Maxwell Lee were working the door. She was taking the cover charge and he was standing guard behind her. They both looked like the vampires that go bump in the night; the pale skin and bright red lips. Well, Maxwell Lee had dark skin but it wasn't the typical skin color of an African American man. It didn't matter though. He still looked like a vampire; a scary vampire. Their clothes were your run of the mill vampire costume clothes. Pam had on a filmy black dress that looked like it would flow behind her when she walks. The sleeves billowed around her hands. Her black veil fell beautifully over her scary yet gorgeous and frowning face. Maxwell Lee was dressed in a black tuxedo with a red cummerbund with a matching bow tie. And the cape, it was quite precious if you want to know the truth. He and Pam almost looked the sideshows characters that they so desperately hate. Neither one of them was smiling and they both looked as if they didn't want to be there. It was almost comical but not just anyone can laugh at these vampires. Even I wouldn't do that but a smart comment or two wouldn't hurt.<p>

"Looking good you two," I said. I knew that Pam wouldn't like the comment. She never likes it when she has to dress like a fictional vampire character and she definitely doesn't like the snarky comments but who can resist? She wanted to dress as she normally does but to please her maker she did as she was expected to do. "Morticia Adams and the Count, I presume?" I tried to hide my smile but it was quite hard to do.

Maxwell Lee looked almost confused. "I'm Maxwell Lee, Sookie. My name isn't Count." I had to roll my eyes at his comment.

Pam gave me a fangy smile and said, "If you weren't my mistress, I'd think that you were trying to be funny."

Wide eyed and nodding, I said, "I am trying to be funny."

Ignoring me and my comment, Pam yelled for the fangbangers to step back. Once they'd stepped back far enough, she said to me, "We've had a busy night tonight. You missed the action."

"I'm sorry but I had to get home and take a shower. Busy day. What happened?" I couldn't wait to hear her tell me all about the late, not great Mr. Conrad Haynes.

"Well, we had a visitor." For effect, the drama queen paused. "He came here to get rid of a certain _pest_ …with the help of your husband I might add. Your tall and handsome husband." I hoped that calling me a pest was code. I really hope that it was code. "You know how Eric feels about the pest. No one had better bother the pest because if they do, it's off with their head. And this guy was determined to get rid of the pest."

"Okay, Pam. I get it." Slyly, I add, "I'm glad to hear that Eric got the present that I sent him. And by the by," I added. "I'm no pest."

I have to say this. I think that I'm the only person that has ever surprised vampires before. They are usually pretty good at hiding their emotions but my vampires; they suck at it when it comes to me. Pam looked more than surprised. Maxwell Lee's mouth dropped open. "You sent the human?" they both asked simultaneously in whispery voices.

Nodding and smiling, I said, "Yeah. I did."

"I knew it!" Pam said. "I told Eric that it didn't seem right. Why would that pathetic lump of nothing come here to tell your husband, a vampire, that he wants to get rid of the pest, which is you, Eric's wife? I knew that someone had sent him but I had no idea that it was you! Eric is going to be so surprised. You are a piece of work, my friend." Pam walked over to me and draped her cool arm over my shoulder. "My friend. My friend. We are becoming more and more alike each day. We just need to work on your choice of clothing."

"And what's wrong with my clothes?" I asked her. "I think that I look rather nice. I look like a presentable young lady."

Maxwell Lee agreed. "I think that you look very becoming, mistress."

"For you, the dress is beautiful but you could add a little bit of risqué to your wardrobe. That wouldn't hurt. You have a beautiful shape. You hide it behind those sack dresses. You're a vampire's wife. You should dress the part."

What did she mean sack dresses? "I wear clothes that are becoming to my body type. Not everyone can run around in gauzy, see through dresses. I don't want to dress like a one of those vampire groupies. I like the way that I dress. I think that my clothes fit my personality perfectly."

She looked me up and down and shook her head. "Yes, they do but …I don't know, my friend. You dress so ...plainly."

"I think that she looks absolutely beautiful." My tall and sexy Viking was standing in front of me. His long blond hair flowed down his back and his beautiful blue eyes sparkled when he looked at me. Oh, those eyes and that smile; I've never seen anyone as handsome as he is. I see everything in his eyes and his smile. I wish that everyone could see what I see. The fangbangers only see his face. His gallant and valiant features are what make every fangbanger weak in the knees. They didn't realize that he is so much more than just a face and a muscular body.

Looking at Eric and smiling, I said to Pam, "And that's all that matters."

I went to Eric and wrapped my arms around his neck. He held me tightly in his arms and lovingly kissed my cheek. I was in heaven. This is what I've always wanted. I've always wanted a man that would love me and put me first. I've always wanted a man that wasn't ashamed to show that he loves me. I didn't realize it until now that with Eric, I've always come first and that he isn't afraid to hide his feelings for me; not anymore. This moment proves it. The old Eric would have never shown such affection; all out in the open like this. He would have been worried about the other supes using me against him. We weren't going to hide our love from anyone anymore. We were going to do this together. He knows that we can handle anything. We are Sookie and Eric. We will fight to stay together. There is nothing that can tear us apart.

"We _are_ better than they are," I whispered in his ear as I inhaled the sweet scent that is Eric.

As he stroked my head, he asked, "We're better than whom?"

Leaning back and looking into his eyes, I said, "Romeo and Juliet."

A look of pure pleasure filled his eyes. He couldn't believe that I remembered. He didn't think that I would remember. He licked his sweet lips as he looked at me. He wanted to kiss me and kiss me passionately.

Mimicking his actions, I licked my own lips and asked, "What are you waiting for? Kiss me."

His blue eyes were blazing. They were filled with love, lust, and want. "My lover," he said. He kissed me with such passion and love that my body went completely limp. I melted into his arms and into his kiss. My head was swimming and my heart was beating rapidly. I could feel the blood rushing through my body. Everything is about Eric. I am so in love. We were lost in each other and we never wanted to be found. In that one moment, we'd forgotten where we were but not for too long. The obnoxious and nasally sound of Pam's voice interrupted our blissful moment.

"Take it to the office," she said. "No one wants to see that; especially not the vermin."

I dropped my shields and they were beyond pissed. I was being called every single derogatory and unflattering name in the book. They either wanted to kick my ass or see me dead. It didn't matter which one it was just so long as I was not with Eric. They wanted what is mine. Well, too bad. They can't have him. I leaned my forehead against Eric's and started laughing. "They hate me."

"I love you."

"And that's all that matters."

As he returned me to the floor, he kissed the tip of my nose. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you. And as always, you are mouth watering."

Pam made a gagging sound.

"Pam," Eric said.

Pam winked at me and gave me a quick look and pretended to make herself throw up. I laughed. Happily, my very dear friend went back to work. She motioned for the vermin to come to her. She and Maxwell Lee began speaking to the fangbangers as Eric and I walked away.

Eric took me by my hand and led me through the bar to our table. The inside of the bar was just as empty as the outside. There were very few patrons inside. What in the world is going on? Once we were at our table, we sat side by side as always; still holding hands. Before I could ask him about the empty bar, Eric made a comment about my day. "You've been very busy, my lover."

"I was," I said. I could feel the giddiness building inside of me. "Did you get the gift that I sent to you?"

"You mean Mr. Haynes?"

I nodded.

Squeezing my hand tightly, he said yes. "I did and I thank you. Thalia and Indira are still _'playing'_ with him. I know that they can't wait to thank you."

I looked at him and asked, "How did you know that I sent him?"

"Oh, my lover, I know more than you think I do." He winked at me. "Plus, the way that he described me as being tall and handsome; virile and strong. He knew of my warrior and protector status. He was in complete and utter awe of me; as he should have been. I knew that no one but you could have sent him to me."

"I never used the words virile and …"

Placing his finger on my lips, he said, "I know that you meant to." With that said, we laughed and laughed. We talked about my day with Conrad. I told Eric about me scaring the crap out of Conrad and all of the information that I'd gotten from him. Eric was smiling and the little crinkles around his eyes melted my heart away. He was smiling as if I'd just told him that I wanted him to turn me. This was going so well, I decided that there was going to be no need in beating around the bush. I went right into telling him about my time with Lattesta and Andrews.

"It was the most exciting feeling, Eric. To have their lives in the palm of my hand and to be able to get what I wanted from them. To have them know that it was going to be my decision on whether or not they would live. At first, I was a little nervous but after awhile and after the memories started coming back to me, I was at ease. Everything that I did, Eric, they just felt right. Oh, baby, it was wonderful. And the memories! You wouldn't believe the memories that I had!" With a look of excitement and joy on my face, I gave him the details of what I'd done from the time I'd gotten to the secret address to the time I'd left. The only downfall was that Eric didn't reciprocate my feelings. He didn't look as if he was reveling in my joy at all. Eric was no longer smiling. The crinkles were no longer melting my heart away. He wasn't happy. He was angry. Pam must have felt it because she turned around and looked at us. When she saw the look on Eric's face, she slowly turned back around and returned her attentions back to the now empty doorway.

"You did this alone?"

"Yes," I said. "You would have been so proud of me. I took all of the necessary precautions, Eric. I was safe." What was he about to pitch a bitch about? I did what I had to do and he would just have to understand that. I will explain it to him in a way that he will understand. He will see that I had no choice. I did this for us and our friends. He would see.

"You went to this 'secret address' by yourself? You didn't call Mustapha?"

"No," I replied. "There was no need for me to call him."

His body stiffened. "You released vampires that hadn't fed in you don't know how many days and you went about this alone? Is that correct?"

"Yes," I answered.

"You captured two human FBI agents and interrogated them all alone? Why did you not wait for me to rise?"

"Yes I did. I had to do it this way, baby. I couldn't wait for you to rise, Eric," I said. "It had to be done quickly. Time was of the utmost importance. I couldn't let…"

Eric raised his hand and stopped me mid sentence. He said no more. He looked straight ahead and I could feel the bond shut down. I couldn't feel him. For the first time since my return, I felt empty. My heart didn't feel the same. My soul was empty. Why would he do that? I don't like that feeling. As a matter of fact, I hate not being able to feel him. I don't want to have to go through that again. And I'm not going to go through it again. "You have no right to do that," I said. "To shut down the bond; you have no right. I need to feel you. You can't take that away from me."

Eric looked at me as if I'd just lost my mind. The bond remained closed. "Excuse me," he said. He was waiting for me to get up and grudgingly, I obliged. He walked to his office. I followed. When he sat down at his desk, I closed the door behind us and sat down on the sofa and waited. He didn't speak. He didn't look at me. He was motionless. He continued to look straight ahead.

"Eric, tell me what's wrong. What have I done that is so terrible? I saved our friends! I would think that you'd be happy about that. I did what you would have done."

He stared me down. There was no sign of emotion on his face or in the bond. After what felt like hours, he finally decided to acknowledge me.

"You have no right do what you did today; putting yourself in danger. I know that you've come into your gifts and I'm extremely proud of you. I've never been prouder of you, as a matter of fact. You are finally proud of who and what you are and what you can do but you can't just do what you want when you feel the need to. It's not up to you."

I shook my head and said, "What do you mean? You don't understand. You're being too …"

Interrupting me, he said, "I love you, Sookie. You know how much I love you. For five years, I've sat in this bar and waited for you to walk through those doors and walk back into my arms. For five years, I waited to hear your voice, to see your smile; your eyes. For five years, I ached to touch you. Without you, my life was over. Then one night, you returned. You came back to me. You've come home. _I_ need to feel _you_. What if you had been killed today while I was at rest? What if someone had sneaked in while you were taking care of business and kidnapped you? What if you weren't paying attention and someone had sneaked in and killed you? Did you ever stop to think about how I would feel if I'd risen and you were dead …for good and for real this time?"

I hadn't thought of any of those things. I had just assumed that I would be okay and that I wouldn't have anything to worry about. It never occurred to me that anyone else could have walked in and killed me. I just assumed that I would 'hear' them approaching me. It never dawned on me that someone could sneak upon me. I definitely hadn't thought about how it would have made Eric feel if was truly dead when he woke up for the night. I hadn't thought of any of those things. I just figured that I would be okay.

"I can tell by the look on your face that you didn't. What you did today, it was very selfish of you, Sookie. You have no right to take your life for granted. _You_ have no right take that from_ me_. The emptiness that you feel now is what I felt for five… long… years. _You_ have no right."

I stared at my hands and thought about what Eric had said to me. As I thought about Eric's words, I saw images of him night after night as he walked slowly into this bar and to his throne. He looked as if he had to almost force himself to put one foot in front of the other. He looked as if he barely fed. He didn't look like the vampire that I'd met years ago. Just like before when I was at our house in Shreveport, I could feel every one of the emotions that Eric felt when I was gone. Every emotion that passed through his body during that time was so clear and so distinct. It was no different than what I could only assume was what he was feeling at that precise moment. He was remembering the times of loneliness, ache, and grief. He was remembering the nights that he spent alone. He was remembering the nights of not having anyone to share with or to love.

He was absolutely right. How could I take his feelings for granted? Why should I have assumed that he would happy about what I'd done today? I can't bear to put him through any of that pain again. My heart was breaking for him. There was only one thing left for me to do. I had to soothe his pain. I had to envelop him in my arms and let every bit of the love that I have in me pour through to him; taking whatever pain that he was feeling away. That was my only choice. So, I rose to my feet. I walked over to my husband and just as easily as I would have pushed a book across his desk, I slid his chair back from the desk and sat in his lap. When I touched my lips to his, it was as if I'd touched him for the first time. My heart began to hammer at an alarming speed in my chest. I always wanted to feel this way when I'm with him.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'll never do that to you again. I never want you to feel as you did when I was gone. Please," I begged. "Forgive me. I won't go on any more murder missions without you."

With those words, I could feel him again. Love; I could feel his love and his life once more.

"Thank you!" I said excitedly.

Eric wrapped his arms around me and held me to his chest. "I love you, Sookie."

"I have to feel you. I can't live without feeling you."

We held each other for what felt for only seconds when Eric asked me if I wanted to go out. "Would you like to go out with me tonight? Maybe dinner? We still need to talk about the Compton situation. I know that you have a lot of questions for me about William and I will answer them truthfully. We can go now …"

I shook my head no. "We can talk about Bill some other time. There are other things that we can be doing." I began nuzzling Eric's neck when he did something that I never, ever expected to happen. He stopped me.

"It's still early, my lover. We have all night long to hold each other and to make love. First things first. Would you like to go out to dinner with me? Tonight, there are many things that we need to discuss. It's paramount that we talk about them. They affect us both."

I rested my head against his. "I don't want to talk about Bill. Since he wasn't Conrad's contact, there is no need to waste time on him. We're getting the files from the BVA. We'll get all that we need from that. I'm not interested in Bill Compton. He has no place in our lives; especially not mine." When I said that, a look came over Eric's face and I didn't like it.

"There are some things that you need to know about him; about Bill."

"No. There is nothing that I need to know about him. He doesn't matter. Tonight, should be all about us. Please, baby. Please. Can we have this night, Eric? Just this one night?" I didn't want to go back to thinking about Bill, Conrad, or the FBI agents. I don't want to talk about the BVA or the FoTSs members. I wanted to spend some quality time with my husband. We could discuss Bill some other time.

Evidently my begging worked because he gave in. "_WE_ will discuss this, Sookie. We're not going to let this go. You are getting your memories back and after what happened with that whore Arlene Fowler, I don't want to keep anything from you. Deal?"

I looked down at my hands and from the tone of Eric's voice, I knew that it wasn't going to be good news and that no matter how much pouting I did, I wasn't going to get my way. I shrugged my shoulders and mumbled some incoherent words that even I didn't understand.

"Deal?" he asked again.

"Okay," I pouted.

"Good," he said. "Now, let's go and get some food in you. I know that you haven't eaten. I have this great new place that I want to take you to. You'll absolutely love it. Mustapha recommended it." Lifting me from his lap, Eric stood us up and took my hand. "Stop pouting and let's go."

Eric pulled me behind him and out of the office we went. To my surprise, the bar was now closed. It was closed. My vampires were gone and there were no patrons anywhere in the bar. When we walked outside, there were only two cars in the parking lot; Eric's and mine. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

Eric shrugged his broad shoulders. "I decided to close the bar early. Pam had some things that she wanted to do. The other vampires decided that they wanted the night off and being the great and fantastic leader that I am, I decided to give them what they wanted."

"Puh-leeze," I said. He must have them on a mission or something and after what I did today, I guess he's not going to tell me and because he is upset, I'm not going to give him a hard time about it …until tomorrow. "Are we taking separate cars?"

"No."

Eric led me to his car and opened the passenger side door for me. When I was safely inside, I watched him through the rearview mirror. My vampire husband was skipping and smiling as he walked slowly to the driver's side of the car. Once he was in the car, I looked at his now emotionless face. "What are you up to, Viking?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

When he cranked the car and as we were leaving the parking lot of Fangtasia, I couldn't believe my ears. My Viking was humming. "I love you, Sookie."

"I love you, too."

As we drove along, a chill of delight and anticipation passed through my body. I had no idea what my wonderful husband had planned and I couldn't wait to find out what it was. I wanted to know desperately what was going on in that brilliant mind of his but I knew that I couldn't read his mind and I was glad for that. I leaned my tired head against the headrest and closed my eyes and let my thoughts take me away.

"Sookie?" he said.

Rolling my head to side and looking at him, I smiled. "Yeah, baby."

"How did you know that I said that I love you? I didn't say it out loud." Mockingly, but not quite mockingly, he said, "Have you been in my head again?"

I was unable to speak. I think I'd swallowed my tongue. And what does he mean again?

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you enjoyed. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think. I hope that you all have the best Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever holiday that you celebrate. Be blessed and happy.**


	65. Chapter 65

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 65**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews and the time that you give this story. I also would like to say that I hope that you all had a great holiday and I hope that you have an even greater year to come.**

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><p>I listened to Eric as he told me about my past experiences in reading vampires minds. Yep, that's right; vampires minds ...plural... meaning more than one. From what he's told me, I've seen into the mind of a vampire that was going to do us harm. His name was Jonathan. Eric killed him after Jonathan attacked me. I saw into the mind of a vampire that needed to hold on to whom and what he used to be when he was human; Stanislaus Davidowitz. That was his human name. Now he goes by the name of Stan Davis. Eric said that my deduction is that Stan still wears glasses because he wants to keep a little bit of who he used to be alive. Did I mention that he's a king? How dangerous is that?<p>

Yeah. I know.

Eric goes on to tell me that I was able to see a vampire's pride when it came to other vampires admiring his human girlfriend. The most prevalent vampire memory is when I could see that Eric wanted to stay the entire night in bed with me. He didn't want to leave me but he couldn't stay with me because of some vampire business that he had to take care of. All of this information should have bothered me. Hell, it should've scared the bejeezus out of me but it didn't. It excited me. It amazed me. I wanted to bask in the amazement of being able to read the minds of vampires. It was amazing and dangerous all at the same time and I liked it. I wanted to relish in that joy but another emotion stopped me. That emotion was good, old fashioned fear. Not fear for me but for the vampire that I love so dearly.

Fear was the most logical emotion for me to have and it filled me. Not fear of being physically hurt by Eric or that he'd attack me. I unquestionably have no fears of him hurting me or killing me. The reason for my fear is that I know how vampires are. Vampires are fiercely protective of two things; their lives because they've lived for so long and their privacy. I was in his head and the head of other vampires. My fear is that he'll suffer because of me. What if we are in the company of other vampires and blurt out a random thought that they've had? If that happened, they would kill us both. Me for invading their privacy and Eric for keeping the secret and not killing me when he found out about what I could do. The bond wouldn't matter; not them. Not to another vampire. I put my hand on Eric's thigh and stroked it. I can't let that happen. I need him.

"Are you okay?" Eric placed his hand on top of mine.

I squeezed his thigh and said, "Yeah, baby. I'm fine."

"You're lying to me, lover. I know what you're feeling." For a brief second, he took his eyes off of the road. "You fear me. Because you read my mind, you fear me." Eric was trying to keep his composure but it wasn't quite working out in his favor. His white knuckles were whiter than any vampires I've ever seen. He was gripping the steering wheel so tight that I was afraid he was going to rip it from the column.

"Baby," I said. "I don't fear you. I know that you'd never do anything to hurt me. You know that."

Slowly releasing the steering wheel, he lifted my hand to his cool lips and kissed it. A quick look of relief flashed across his handsome face. "Then tell me what is bothering you, my lover."

I rested my head against the headrest and looked at him. "Why aren't you upset about this? Is it a normal thing? Is it not upsetting to you because I used to read the minds of vampires? Is that one of the jobs that I've done for you before?"

In his simple and matter-of-fact tone, Eric said, "There is no reason for me to be upset because you were only able to read vampire minds when you had large quantities of my blood. It wasn't a normal thing then and it's not a normalcy now. We've shared lots of blood and obviously, just as it's done in the past, it's happened again. There is nothing to worry about, my love. And the answer to your last question is no. I would never put you in danger."

I looked at him and shook my head. "I know and I apologize for asking you such a question but you have to tell me. How can you be so calm about this? Vampires are fiercely protective of their privacy. Do you know what would happen to us if other vampires found out that I could read their thoughts; no matter how small or insignificant the thought may be? If they even think that you've known about this the entire time, they would do their best to kill you …not that I would _ever_ let that happen."

"Who's going to tell them? You?"

I shook my head. "Not on purpose, no."

"Think logically, lover. It only happens when a random thought pops into a vampire's head. Stop worrying, Sookie; nothing is going to happen to us. And you should be happy about this bit of information. It means that you were right about one thing."

That comment made me sit upright. "_My_ husband is telling me that _I'm_ right? Well whoop-tee-taw. Please, tell me what I'm right about."

With a cocked eyebrow and a smile, Eric spoke. "You've always said that some vampires have a little more humanity than others. Those random thoughts prove that you're right. A dead brain can't think. There has to at least be a flicker of humanity in there somewhere."

I leaned my head back against the headrest and squeezed my husband's hand. "You're right, baby. I'm a genius." He rolled his eyes as he drove us to our destination. I went over the idea that I can read vampires mind. I watched the night sky blur past the window as my husband sped along. I enjoyed the sight of the moon and the clear sky and I smiled. Tonight, everything was beautiful. Our relationship has reached a new plateau. We are the best of friends and I'm happier than I've ever been. What more could I ask for? Eric was watching me from the corner of his eyes; trying to get a read on what was going on in my head. I've decided to help him out.

"Eric," I started but I stopped instantly when a black Escalade pulled up beside us. They blew the horn and Eric slowed down so that they could pull in front of us. Before I could ask him about it, another pulled in behind us. I turned around and looked out of the window. I couldn't tell who was in either of the cars. I looked at Eric and asked, "What's going on?"

He looked at me and smiled. Before long, Eric was pointing to my right and saying, "Look."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Oh, my stars," I whispered. We'd finally reached our destination.

On our way here I asked him where we were going. Eric only told me that he wanted to do something special for me. He said that we needed to have a special night just for us. "I know that this night is going to be the perfect night." He was right. The sight before us was simply outstanding. There were trees that were decorated with fairy lights and they were guiding us on our way down the path to our perfect night. It was beautiful.

"Pam and Mustapha worked really hard on getting this together," Eric said as he stopped the car. "_I_ came up with the plan. Pam was in charge of all decorations. Mustapha oversaw the daytime preparations and we all made sure that everything was perfect. Now, as far as everything that you see here, Mustapha been a part of this from the very beginning." The lush green lawn. The many variety of flowers. The magnolia trees and cherry blossoms. Everything was beautiful.

"Thank you." My face was pressed against the window. "Where are we, Eric?" I couldn't contain the excitement in my voice.

That was when Eric said that he wished that I would turn around so that he could see the excitement on my face and so I did. But when I did, his head was resting on his arm as he leaned against the steering wheel. He was smiling and he hadn't said a word. I turned back to the window quickly and continued smiling. I wasn't going to let this little accident ruin our night.

"What have you done?"

"You'll see."

I took in my surroundings and we were in this big field behind what looked like a hotel or an inn. There were guards everywhere but they couldn't be seen. I could sense the voids and the colored minds. I could 'see' that they were scattered throughout. When it comes to my safety, I know that my Viking has left no stone unturned. The minds of the guards didn't keep my attention for long. There was this huge pond with a fountain in the center. Water was spraying upward and it changed colors. I squealed like a child. I turned around and looked at Eric before jumping out of the car. On the other side of the pond was a gigantic black tent that sat in the middle of this big field. I noticed the softness of the ground and lo and behold, it wasn't the ground. I was standing on white carpet. Before I knew it, I was running down the stretch of white carpet and to the doorway of the tent. Eric was right behind me.

When I reached the opening, I had to catch my breath. There were red and white roses decorating the tent. There was black silk bunting draped over the walls. The table that was in the middle of the floor was covered in black and white silk. A simple bouquet of roses were placed neatly in the middle. Off in the corner, there were four men standing on the far wall playing violins and cellos.

"Oh, Eric," I whispered. "This is so beautiful."

"Pam suggested that we use fairy lights," Eric said as he stood behind me and pulled me into his body. "So that's what we did. She said that it would look as if there are stars in the tent. She said that it would look like a true Louisiana night. She said that all human women like roses and live music."

"She was right."

Resting his chin in the top of my head, he said, "You like it?"

"I love it."

"I love you," he whispered in my ear. "Welcome home, lover."

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him before turning back around to admire my surprise. "Is this why you closed the bar early?"

"Yes."

"Will the others be here?"

"No. I told you that the others had things to do and I gave them the night off. This is our night."

Worry soon filled me. "But what if the BVA or ...?"

Eric shook his head no. "If anything happens, Pam and the others are more than capable of handling it. This is our night."

I closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet and delicate scents of flowers and the Louisiana night air. As I leaned into my husband's body, the quartet began to play. Eric and I swayed to the music and basked in each other's love. It was the one of the best nights of my life. The thought of our first date brought forth a memory. "Eric, you were wrong."

As he kissed the top of my head, he asked, "About what, Sookie?"

"You said that our date night was the second best night of my life, it wasn't." I turned around to face him; draping my arms over his shoulders. "The first night that I met you was the best night of my life. I don't mean the night that I came back from wherever I came from. I mean the first time I walked into Fangtasia to warn you. When I saw those eyes, I was so gone."

"You mean this?" We continued to sway our bodies to the music.

"Mmmhmm," I said. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no second or third best night of my life. Nothing compares to the night that I met you. That is when my life began." I began to laugh. "You caught me with my pants down."

Eric cocked an eyebrow. "You never let me see you with your pants down. I told you time and time again that you would yield to me but …"

I playfully punched Eric in the gut. "I mean you caught me by surprise. I wasn't prepared for you."

Good-naturedly Eric said, "Oh yeah, well, I have that affect on women. I knew that my presence and my charm would get you sooner or later."

In a sarcastic tone, I add, "Especially since your glamoring didn't work."

"Especially," he said.

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck. "You; it's always been you." When I looked into his blue eyes, they were radiating. They were filled with love and lust. For just a second, I couldn't breathe; my heart was pounding so hard in my chest. Eric looked deeply into my eyes and kissed me. The bond began to fill with …nerves? Jitters, maybe? And it wasn't me.

I stood back and looked up at him. "What's wrong, baby?"

Eric bowed his head and closed his eyes. He was breathing unnecessarily and he was scaring me senseless. And to top it all off, he didn't answer me. His eyes remained closed. His body stiffened.

"Come on, baby," I said. I cupped his face in my hands and lifted his face to mine. "What's wrong, Eric? You're scaring me."

He blinked a couple of times and looked at me. "Sorry. It's just that …I just wanted to say …I need to …"

"Say it."

"I love you and ah ..."

I giggled as I wrapped my arms around him. "I know. I love you too, buster."

The quartet continued to play. Eric and I danced. His arms enveloped me. This is where I've always belonged; in his arms, in his eyes. Just as the next song was about to begin, Eric let me go. He stepped away from me. He took a red velvet box from his pocket; never once letting his eyes leave mine. "What's that?" I managed to croak out.

Eric slowly opened the box. In it were two wedding bands. One belonged to Gran and the other was one that I'd never seen before. It was a platinum and diamond wedding band. Holding up Gran's ring, Eric said, "I gave you this ring five years ago on our wedding night. It symbolizes a love of old." He took my hand and slid Gran's ring on my finger. Taking the new ring from the box, he said, "This new band symbolizes our new beginning; an everlasting love. Our lives as one."

I couldn't believe what was happening. My head was spinning and my heart was beating at an enormous and unsafe rate. I couldn't speak. My breath had either caught in my throat or my tongue had swollen twice its size. I don't know why. We're already married.

"I gave you my heart the first night that I met you. I knew that you would be mine. I knew then that you would yield to me. In all of my years, I never expected to be the one yielding to you but I'm yours, Sookie. Will you do me the honor of wearing this ring? The symbol of our new beginning? Will you give yourself to me just as you did five years ago? Will you be my friend, my wife, and my lover forever?"

I never expected this. I'm already his wife. Hell, the most I expected was a catered meal and some good lovin'. I almost laughed. I couldn't believe that this was actually happening. It felt like a dream but when I looked into Eric's eyes, I knew that it was real. In his eyes, I saw sincerity and undying love.

With attitude and sass, I said, "I do declare, Mr. Northman. You've really done it this time." I stood there with my hands on my hips and patting my foot.

"What have I done, lover?"

"You've done what you've done since the very first time I met you. You've ruined me for any other man. I have no choice but to be your girl …forever."

Eric's mouth crushed mine passionately and savagely. I was lost in his taste, his scent, the feel of our bodies pressed together. I was lost in him. Eric broke the kiss and held the ring at the tip of finger. "Mine," he said as he slid the ring on my finger.

"Yours," I said.

"My life is yours," he said as he kissed the ring on my finger. He was coming in for another kiss but I stopped him.

"Wait!"

Eric went on the defensive and pulled me into his body. His fangs were descended and he was ready to kill. "Do you hear something?"

I could only shake my head because I couldn't breathe. Eric realized that and loosened his grip. Gasping for air, I said, "It's not that. I don't have a ring for you."

My dear thoughtful and considerate husband pulled another red velvet box from his pocket. When he opened it, there was granddaddy's wedding band and a wedding band that was just like mine.

"You're wonderful." I took the rings and smiled at him. Taking his hand, I said my vows to him. "I love you and my life is with you. Will you wear my rings just as you did five years ago? Will you give yourself to me and only me …completely and totally? Will you stand with me through anything and everything? Will you forever be my Viking, my warrior, and my protector? Will you stand by my side forever?"

"Without doubt or question," he answered.

"Mine."

"Yours."

I slid the rings on his finger and I said, "My life is yours."

Eric rested his forehead to mine and cradled my face in his hands. "I need to be with you."

"You need to claim me," I corrected.

He looked at me with longing.

"What are you waiting for?

Before I realized it, we were outside and in the air. Eric had flown us to an enormous and beautiful hotel. We blurred up the spiral staircase and went into a waiting and prepared bedroom. The California king sized bed was placed beautifully in the center of the bedroom. The only light in the room emanated from the fireplace. The Louisiana night air filled the room through the opened French doors. The view that was before us was breathtaking; absolutely breathtaking. A full moon and a clear night sky.

Still cradling me in his arms, Eric whispered in my ear, "I knew you'd like it. Will you stay the night with me?"

"Yes but I have to leave early …"

"It's all taken care of."

I should've known.

Eric then placed me down on my feet. I took his hand and pulled him along behind me and to our bed. I turned to face him and began unbuttoning his shirt. After I pushed the shirt over his shoulders and off of his arms, I let my hands explore his muscular chest. The coolness of his body felt good underneath my warm hands. I stepped in and began to kiss his beautiful chest. When the warmth of my breath hit his nipples, Eric placed his hand on the back of my head. I took that as my queue to flick my tongue across his already hard and ready nipples.

"Sookie," he groaned. Before I knew it, Eric had me against a wall. He kissed me so deep that I had to hold onto him for dear life. I know that it has only been a couple of days since we've been together sexually but it feels like a lifetime. I have missed this so much; his touch, his smell, his eyes. He lifted me in his arms and instinctively I wrapped my legs around his waist. For a brief second, Eric stopped kissing me long enough to look into my eyes. In his eyes I see everything. I see his love for me. I see our life. I see our past and our future. "This is right. This is perfect."

Still holding me, Eric carried me to the bed as he kissed me. He sat me on the edge of the bed and removed my dress. He then kneeled down and removed my shoes. He kissed his way up from my feet to my legs. When he reached my ready and waiting lady parts, he leaned me back on the bed. He started kissing my stomach and worked his way to the top of my panties. Using his teeth, he began removing them. Lifting my hips from the bed, I gave my husband the help that he needed. My hootchie was throbbing with eagerness and want.

"Are you ready for me my lover?" He licked my lips so sensually and began kissing me.

I wanted to answer him but I couldn't. I couldn't seem to tear my mouth away from his. I know that this is not our first time but it feels like it's our first time. Eric reached up and unsnapped the front of my bra. As soon as the girls were free, Eric latched onto my breasts; pushing the girls together because he couldn't decide which one to love first. He was watching me as he was making love to my nipples. His eyes bore into mine. He enjoyed watching me enjoy the pleasure that he was giving to me. It felt so good. I've never been loved as he was loving me tonight. When I reached down to undo his pants, he pushed my hands out of the way. "In time, my lover," he said.

He continued to kiss his way down my stomach and to his playground. He kissed the top of my hootchie. When he reached the lips of my wetness, I caught my breath and threw my head back in anticipation. I was waiting for him to kiss my nub …he didn't. I sat up quickly and waited. He looked at me and smiled. "What's wrong?" He kissed the lips of my wetness again without touching my nub. "Are you not satisfied?"

"Please," I begged as I threw my head back.

Obviously, he only needed to hear me beg. He used his tongue to open my wetness and I was done. I could no longer see. I could no longer hear.

Everything was a blur.

Everything was and is Eric. I was lost. I was gone.

Within minutes, Eric's mouth had once again taken over mine. I tasted me on his lips as he kissed me. I reached up and let my fingertips caress his cheeks and then brushed them lightly over his lips. My eyes were locked on him and so much was going through my mind. Before I could speak, Eric stopped me. "Hush, my lover. Just let me love you."

The sensations from just the simple sound of his voice made my breath hitch in my throat; my lady parts were even wetter than before. Even though I wasn't standing, my knees buckled beneath me. My nipples hardened when his cool chest pressed against mine. With his fingertips, Eric brushed my hair from my face. He was enjoying the way that he was making me feel. I closed my eyes as I melted into him.

"Open your eyes, lover. I want to see all of you. I want to love all of you."

When I opened my eyes and looked at him, a soft moan escaped me and an even softer word followed. "Please."

Eric muffled my cries with his mouth as he gently loved me with his fingers. My body began to tremble. With just that one kiss, that one touch, I was losing myself. I bit into my bottom lip as he kissed his way down my neck. My thighs continued to quiver. My insides turned to mush. My breath quickened with each touch of his lips; his hands. Eric wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer into our already close bodies.

As I made love to his fingers, I begged for him to love me. "Please." The ache between my legs was more than I could stand.

Eric groaned as his favorite scent filled the air. His hardness was hard against my thigh; teasing me, taunting me. I began to nibble at the side of his neck. His breath quickened as well as his fingers. I flicked my tongue over his ear; tugging at it lightly as I continued to love his fingers. I rolled my hips as I was about to reach my moment. His reached underneath me and cupped my ass as I reached my climax. It was good but it wasn't enough.

"Love me," I whispered.

Eric and I were soon sitting upright on the bed with me straddling him. My hips began to twitch frenziedly. Eric grabbed a hand full of my hair and forced my head back. He licked and nibbled at my favorite spot; his favorite spot. I couldn't help but squirm against him. His hardness was nestled in between us; resting on my stomach. The throbbing in my wetness was too much. I stared deeply into his eyes because I wanted Eric to see what he was doing to me.

"Mine," he whispered as he brushed my hair from my face.

"Yes," I moaned.

Eric closed his eyes and shivered at those words. He groaned softly and claimed my mouth once again. It was the most intense kiss we've ever shared. Our tongues danced together. With that one kiss, I'd opened myself up to him; my heart and soul. Finally, Eric's hand began to move up my thigh. When I grabbed his hand to bring it to where his mouth once was, he grabbed my wrists and put them behind me. With his free hand, he placed his hardness neatly in between the folds of my wetness. I moaned deeply. Tears of ecstasy filled my eyes.

"Do you want me, lover?"

Nodding was the only thing that I was able to do.

"Say it," he ordered.

Panting and barely able to move my lips, I murmured, "I …want…you."

Eric reached in between us and slowly guided himself home. Arching my back, I screamed in pleasure as every inch of him filled me. I wanted to move as fast as I could but the need to have him inside of me for as long as I possibly could stopped me. Eric's hands clenched my hips as I moved slowly on his hardness. I gave myself totally and completely to him.

"It's only you and me, baby," I gasped as I rode him. "It's only you and me."

Gripping my hips tighter and pulling me down on his cock, Eric growled. "Hold on, lover."

I reached behind him and grabbed the headboard and he licked and kissed my nipples and began claiming me the way a vampire claims what's his. I tightened my thighs around his waist. He grabbed my ass as he pulled me down to meet his animalistic thrusts. I could feel my hootchie getting tighter around his hardness. I started to work my hips down and around in order to match Eric's thrusts. My desire for him was growing. Things began to change. I began to change. Eric's touch and his life took me to a place I'd never been.

"Eric," I cried out. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I came. We came together. We fed together. It was pure elation. Once I'd had my fill of his life force, I threw my head back and screamed out in total abandon.

"I love you, Sookie. Only you," Eric cried out. He grabbed my hips and thrust harder and deeper. Our passionate cries of love surrounded us as our release hit us at once. Our bodies were filled with wave after wave of bliss; making us hold onto each other for dear life. I slowly stopped moving as the waves of pleasure slowly subsided.

After we'd come down from our high, Eric blurred across the room and secured the bedroom door. He lifted me into his arms as he pulled the covers back. Within seconds we were snuggled warmly in bed and in each other's arms.

Eric enveloped me in his arms and pulled me into his cool body. "We are one now, Sookie. We're no longer Sookie and Eric. We are one person, one soul. You belong only to me."

I crushed his lips with mine. The kiss was so fierce that I tasted his blood on my lips. "My sweet, sweet baby." I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face there. "I'm home now." We remained like that for quite some time until Eric decided to break the hold and the silence.

"Sookie," he began. "I owe you an apology."

Three surprises in one night. What are the chances? I knew that he meant it because he was filled with unease and nerves. I have to admit; I loved it. My face was emotionless but I knew that he could see the joy in my eyes. "Really?"

"Don't play coy. Let me do this without any of your sarcasm or your know it all-ness. I didn't close the bond as a punishment to you. That was never my intention. I would never close the bond because _I_ need to feel you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm very proud of you and your abilities. I'm glad that you've come into your own. You're strong and confident. You are more than capable of taking care of yourself and anyone else. I am just as in love with the new you as I am the old. With that said, I know that there are things that you will have to do that I may not agree with but if I am to accept you and your gifts, I have to accept everything that is a part of you. I had no right to make you feel as I made you feel earlier …tonight at the bar."

Eric was so uncomfortable. He's apologized to me a couple of times before but the apology that he'd just given me must have been the hardest apology of his undead life. He stared at me as if he was waiting for something. There was nothing for me to say so I just waited. I knew that he wasn't finished with what he had to say.

"You see, Sookie. I am a vampire. I'm a dangerous and fierce killer."

Does he not know who he's talking with?

"I am a killer without conscience; a killer with no concern with the consequences that may come with my actions. I'm a warrior and I have always based my life on logic and reason. Because of these reasons alone, I've lived for over a thousand years. I'm not supposed to give in to the idea of human emotions. You've changed that about me. When it comes to you, Pam has always said that logic and reason escape me." Thinking that I didn't hear him, he mumbled, "She was right."

Still I waited. I know that there was an apology somewhere in there. He was just working up the nerve to say it.

"It wasn't anger that closed the bond. It was fear. I couldn't allow you to feel my fear."

I continued to wait.

"I am proud of you, Sookie. I am …but …I …you don't …I'm a vampire."

I decided to interrupt him and end his suffering. "I'll always need you, Eric. Nothing's gonna change that. We're always gonna need each other. I can damn well guarantee that one of us will do something stupid. You'll be there to catch me and I'll be there to catch you." I kissed him and smiled broadly.

Eric roared with laughter. He was relaxed once again. "Hey, are you hungry? We can go down to the kitchen to have dinner. A meal was already prepared for you but you were hungry for something else." He winked at me and puffed up his chest.

Puh-leeze; he is so full of himself.

I looked at the clock on the wall. "It's 2:30 in the morning. It's too late to eat. I can eat a big breakfast in the morning. What time will the kitchen open?"

"Whenever you get hungry."

"Well alright, Mr. Vampire King. Didn't know you had it like that."

Eric cocked his eyebrow in disbelief. "As you said, I am a king. What other way would I have it?" He didn't notice the hint of sarcasm. I didn't bother to explain.

I looked at my finger and admired my rings. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

"No, thank you for letting me do this for you. There used to be a time when you'd never let me buy you things or do things for you. You didn't want to be a _kept woman_."

"I passed up nights of unbridled passion and diamond rings? That's just plain stupid."

"You hated it." Eric began telling me how he would have to do things for me without telling me. "I had to do them without your knowledge. You'd have a bad reaction."

"Well, you can do anything for me that you want. I won't argue or complain. I love being spoiled by you." I began to yawn.

"Sleep, my lover." Eric kissed my forehead and caressed my head. "You need your rest. The dawn will be upon us pretty soon."

He was right. I did need some sleep. After the day that I had, I needed all of the sleep that I could get but just for a few minutes, sleep would have to wait. There was something that Eric and I needed to talk about. I sat up in bed with my legs crossed and stared at him. "I know that you meant it when you said that you're proud of me and what I can do."

"I did and I am."

"You didn't even get mad when I read your mind…accidentally."

"I did not."

"You truly accept all of me and like you said, you understand that there are things that I have to do. Things that I'll have to do when you're at rest or not around. Things that you won't like but you will accept them."

Eric was no longer lying down. He'd propped himself up on his elbow. I could see in his eyes that he was wondering where I was going with what I was saying. I could see that he'd wished that he'd kept some of what he said to himself. "You're going to use my words against me, aren't you lover?"

Slyly shaking my head, I said, "I wouldn't do that; I'm just saying."

"What are you saying?"

I reached over and placed my hand on his; the hand with the finger that he slid the wedding band on it. I stared deep into his eyes before I spoke. "After I leave the office tomorrow, I'm going back to Bon Temps. I'm going to visit my past." I leaned forward and kissed him. "Good night." I got under the covers and pulled them up to my chin. I snuggled down into my pillow and closed my eyes.

Eric didn't lie down. He was ready to battle this out for the next three hours; if I allowed it. "You will not."

I opened my eyes in order to look at my angry husband. "I am going. You know that this has to be done."

"You have to do this alone?! You don't know what's out there! You don't know what to expect! Don't do this alone. You don't have to. You have me." he bellowed.

"I know, baby. I'll always have you but _I_ have to reclaim my past. _I_ have to know what I went through. I have to know why I was ashamed of myself. I need to know what was so bad about me that I wanted to forget. It's not about us. You don't have to worry about me not coming back. I'm coming back to you. I promise."

"Sookie, hear me out."

"No." I reached over and touched his face. "You may not like it but you have to deal with it. I have to do this and I have to go alone. Now, do whatever it is that you do when I go to bed and let me get some sleep. Since we're at a hotel, relax; watch a little television. I saw a pool out back. Go for a swim. Good night, Mr. Northman."

"Sookie, you will go to Bon Temps without me over my dead body!" He didn't hear a word that I said. It's hard to argue with a stubborn vampire. There was no point.

Lifting my head and looking at the clock, I shrugged my shoulders and said fine. "Since it's now 3:00 in the morning and you'll be dead soon, I accept your challenge."

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all enjoyed.**


	66. Chapter 66

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 66**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. If I've forgotten to send you a personal thank you, it was not purposely done. I can guarantee that it was an oversight. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and I hope that you have the best week.**

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><p>"Sookie, you will go to Bon Temps without me over my dead body!"<p>

"Since it's now 3:00 in the morning and you'll be dead soon, I accept your challenge." She pulled the covers up to her chin, snuggled down in the pillow and sighed.

"Sookie, don't you dare turn your back on me. This discussion is far from over. You will listen to reason. You _will_ listen to me."

Without looking at me, she said, "There's nothing else for us to discuss, Eric. I am going and that's that. You're just going to have to get over yourself."

She still had her back turned to me but I could hear her yawn and I knew that within minutes, she would be asleep. I had to talk fast. I had to get her to listen to me. "You promised me that you would not do such things. You said that you would listen to reason. You are being stubborn."

"Talking to you sometimes is like beating my head against a stump. First off, you haven't given me any reasons that are worth listening to. You keep saying that you don't want me to go but you haven't given me a reason why I shouldn't go. Secondly, don't try and use that murder mission statement against me. I told you that I wouldn't go on anymore without you and I intend to keep that promise. I'm not going on a murder mission tomorrow. I'm going back to find my past." She yawned again. "If anything happens, I will call on Mustapha. Because knowing you, he'll get a call from you tonight and he will be following me anyways." She reached behind her and searched for my hand. When she found it, she stroked it. "I'll be fine, baby. I'll be just fine."

I didn't have a valid argument. I didn't want her to go without me. Her past was hard for her. I just don't want her go about it alone. Those people in that town did not give her the respect that she deserved. Not even the ones that were supposed to be her friends. "I'm only saying this because …"

"You won't listen to me," she interrupted. "Regardless of what you say, I'm going. You're not going to change my mind." Sighing loudly, she said, "Okay, I'll give a little. I'll ask Amelia to go with me. Will that make you feel better? I'll have a strong Were and an extraordinarily powerful witch protecting me. That should make you feel better. Do you feel better now, hmm?" she asked in a baby voice.

I am not a spoiled child. I do not need to be pacified. I am over a thousand years old. I will not sit by and let her treat me as if I am a child. I wanted to yell those things at her but I didn't. I just sat there in silence because what she said did make me feel a little better.

She then patted my hand. "I'll even call you with updates, okay? Good. Goodnight, Eric. I love you."

"Sookie," I said.

"I said good night, Eric and I love you."

The discussion was over. "I love you too." She sighed and then settled into sleep. I was so glad that Pam wasn't here to see this.

I stood up from the bed and looked down at her sleeping face. I knew that there was no point in waking her to continue this discussion because no matter what I had to say, it was going to fall on deaf ears. I knew that she was unwavering in her decision to follow through with her plans in returning to Bon Temps without me. Pretty soon, all that I could hear were the soft sounds of her sleeping. She went to sleep with a smile on her beautiful face. To Sookie, it was probably a peaceful smile. A triumphant smile. As far as I'm concerned, it was an exasperating smile. She thought that she was comforting me by offering to take the witch and the Were and to give me a phone call with updates. Those so called comforts are just not enough. So in the end, I did what she said I was going to do. I stood over her as she slept and called Mustapha.

"Mustapha."

The Were yawned in the phone. "Yeah, Eric. What is it?"

"You're needed."

The Were sleepily chuckled. "What has Sookie done now?"

I chuckled right along with him. "Nothing …yet. I need for you to follow her tomorrow …all day tomorrow. She is going back to Bon Temps and I need you with her. If it is at all possible, bring Warren with you. Don't let her out of your sights. Be here at sunrise and stay with her until dusk. At that time, I will take over."

"Will do," he said a little more alertly into the phone. "Did she enjoy the night?"

"She did. Thank you for your assistance in preparing for this."

"It was not a problem. Is the house as she requested? I did my best to remember everything that she wanted done."

"She hasn't had a chance to look around but I know that she will love it."

"Is there anything else that I need to do, Eric?"

Before I could answer him, I heard the voice of a woman and I know that voice very well. It was Heidi. "I hope that you've had enough rest."

"There's nothing else," I said.

"Okay. I'll be there. I gotta go." Before I knew it, the Were hung up without saying another word.

I will never understand the perversities of these young vampires. It is not standard for vampires and Weres to date one another. In the old days, it would have been taboo; frowned upon. I then looked at my sleeping wife and realized my duplicity. I, a vampire of over a thousand years old, am bonded to a woman that is not human or fae. She is definitely not vampire but I'm bonded to her. It has nothing to do with feeding or sex. It has nothing to do with the need to keep track of her for my personal or professional reasons. I'm bonded to her out of pure and unadulterated love. I leaned down to kiss Sookie before going to my office.

Once there, I stood behind my desk; staring out through a wall that held the picture window. During the night, it held the most beautiful view of our backyard. The cherry blossoms were lined along the border. The full moon decorated the night sky; the gentle ripples of the pond shimmered beautifully under the light of the moon. The moon; the moon would be the only light to which I would always see by. It was and will always be a pale comparison to the beauty of the sun. I would forever bathe under the light of the moon. Sookie and I would only walk these grounds together at night. We would only have picnics under the stars. We will only dance in the night air. The thought angered me. Not too long ago, I wished that I was the very moon that I was complaining about. Tonight, I despise her. Until Sookie came into my life, I was content with walking in the moonlight. Now, it will never be enough. I wanted more. My cell phone soon began to ring.

"This is Eric."

"Good evening, old friend. It is I, Russell Edgington. I hope that all is well with you."

"It is very well, thank you. How is your husband?"

Russell giggled liked the schoolgirl that he has always wanted to be. "He is as great as ever."

Most vampires, when they marry another vampire from another kingdom, they only do it for the reasons of protection, greed, and politics. Those two vampires are an original pair. They seem to be truly in love with each other. When vampires are in a marriage for political reasons, they live apart. They only visit each other when it deems necessary but not those two. They live as Sookie and I do. They live as a loving couple.

"What can I do for you this evening, Russell?"

"Ah, dear friend, it's not about what you can do for me but what I can do for us all as vampires. The vampire community will soon be safe. My humans are in place and they are ready for us to take action. I only have to give them the word. Thus far, they have gotten us a lot of information but once we get the most secure plan in place, we are golden, my friend. We are golden. As soon as we find Steve Newlin, we will be ready to go."

"Are your humans trustworthy?"

Russell began to laugh. "I've lived for over three thousand years and have only met one loyal human, Eric. As we both know, humans are weak and will eagerly turn on one another at the drop of a hundred dollar bill. If they are allowed to live or bought for the right price, they will do whatever you say even without the use of glamor."

Humans are fickle but I don't think that they mean to be. They just are. In the past, Sookie has tried to get me to see them as she does. She tries to find the good in everyone. I see them for what they really are. Selfish, greedy, and uncaring. Some of them cling to life with a vengeance and will turn on their spouses, siblings, children, parents, friends, and even strangers if it meant that they could live a little longer, a little freer, and without any worries. Hell, vampires do it every single night. But with humans it's different. Vampires are expected to love no one but themselves. Most of them have no souls. They have no conscience. Humans kill those that they love supposedly without batting an eye; even if their lives aren't in danger. They will use what ever is afforded to them to get what they want. They are just as selfish with their lives and freedoms as we vampires are with ours. I understand their will to live. I just don't understand them but that doesn't mean that Russell should have sent them in without glamoring them first.

"You didn't glamor the humans before sending them in? You know that could be a devastating blow to our cause. They'd put us back at square one."

"Of course I did. I don't trust them. I'm a king. Not an idiot. Do you want to know why our plan is going to work, Eric? Do you want to know why the humans will fall in line? Why they will stand with us?"

Still looking out at the moon, I told him to tell me. "I have to know what is going on in that brain of yours."

"The use of humans is the best choice in persuading the other humans," Russell said. "They understand their own kind and no matter how true or how ridiculous the persuasion is they will follow one another. An actor can sway their votes. Their government can scare them into believing half truths by not providing the full story. They believe almost anything that is on the internet. A political figure can say anything and have nothing to back up what he or she says and it's believed. They will have no documentation to back up their mindless blathering and humans will still follow them." He paused after that statement. "Well, it depends on the political figure. Even the most ignorant human, hence Steve Newlin, can persuade them to hate a group of beings based on outrageous lies and fairy tale fears."

I thought of the vampire's words and I have to admit, he is a genius and he is right. Everything that he said makes perfect sense. "You are a genius. Give us just one human that will see through those outrageous lies and fairy tale fears and we will persevere. Give us one human to believe that the FoTSs and the BVA are pedaling nonsense and we will practically be safe from harm. They will be the ones that will be punished. We can continue to live as we always have. My contacts may have come up with a location on Steve Newlin and one of his cohorts. He goes by the nickname 'The Burner'. Let us know what you need from us and we, me and those in my kingdom, are ready."

"Ah," Russell said. "I received Ms. Ravenscroft's emails on The Burner. He is the one that silvers our associates and leaves them out in the sun." I could hear Russell's fangs click into place. "No harm will come to Newlin or The Burner, will it? We need them alive in order for our plan to work."

I sat down at my desk and propped my feet up. "No. I swear to you, they will go unharmed."

"Good," he stated. Russell then fell silent.

"Well, I will pass the information on to my lieutenant and to the others in my retinue. Have you contacted Rasul?"

"I have but I haven't contacted the shifters and Weres."

"I will call Bill Compton as well and put him on the task of informing the others. Thank you for calling to let me know the status of your plan."

Before I could hang up, Russell began speaking again. "I saw Bernard this evening. He has returned to my kingdom. He'd been …indisposed for quite some time and he's back now. He told me all about how his life was saved today. We are more than grateful for what you and yours have done but Bernard can't stop talking about it. If you ask me, I think he's talking a little too much." There was a hint of a threat ...no a promise in Russell's voice.

"That's good to hear." I didn't know what he expected me to say. I've only met Bernard once and I don't care to meet him again. Whomever had him, should have gotten rid of him if you ask me. I certainly wouldn't have sent anyone to save his life.

Russell sounded surprised by my words. He is usually able to keep control of his true emotions but not this particular time. The surprise was laced in his southern drawl. "Is that all you have to say? You don't expect anything in return?"

"Why would I?"

I could see the precise second his jaw dropped. "You are an original. I say that because it takes quite a bit for me to be surprised and twice this evening, I've been surprised. Before I start rambling, I also want to let you know that I have warned Bernard to keep quiet about what he saw today. I'm not sure if I'd gotten to him in time but he has been warned of his impending punishment if his words have carried far and wide. He understood the reasons why. If you hear anything, please let me know."

"I will do that. I appreciate that and thank you. Well, good night, Russell and thanks for the update."

"Anytime," was his reply. "And Eric?"

"Yes."

"It's good to hear you sounding like your old self again. It's good to know that your life is as it was once before."

I was taken aback at his words. I did not understand their meaning but I appreciated them just the same. We ended the call with silence. I thought nothing else of what he said and proceeded to check my emails. There were a couple from Alcide Herveaux. I didn't have time to read them. He probably wanted to ask permission to let his pack meet and hunt on some of my land. I'll see to his emails tomorrow and then I will let him know of Russell's plans. It has always been planned that all leaders in the supe community would be a party to what is to happen. Instead of responding to him, I sent emails to those in my retinue to let them know that the plan concerning the BVA and FoTSs was in place.

Just as I sent my last email, there was a knock at my office door. It was my child. She was smiling broadly. "So, how did the night go? From the look in your eyes, I can only gather that she enjoyed it immensely."

"She did."

"She loved the ring?" Pam came in and took a seat in the burgundy leather chair.

"She was surprised. She didn't hesitate in accepting my marriage proposal. I don't know why but I expected her to want to make a big to do about the wedding. I assumed that she would mention wedding gowns and churches. She did not. The rings and our vows to one another were enough. Thank you for your help."

"I am happy for you, master." Suddenly the broad smile was gone. My Pam had returned. She was serious and stoic. "The prisoner has been taken care of. His car has been destroyed. There is no trace of Mr. Haynes anywhere near or around Fangtasia. I also had a visitor tonight. A werewolf came to my home. One that we know very well. He said that he has been trying to get in contact with me since the night before last. He said that he would have contacted me sooner but he had personal business to take care of. Tonight was his only free night. He wanted to know if it was true. He wanted to know if Sookie was back."

Alcide. That's why he's emailed me.

I stood up slowly from my desk and turned to the picture window to my right. I looked out to see the moon dancing gaily on the waves of the pond. "What did you say?"

Pam crossed her legs and folded her hand demurely over her knee. Anyone would have thought that she was a kind, young lady if they had walked into the room at that particular moment. "I only laughed at him. I asked him if has taken up smoking crack or if he has turned to alcohol. He didn't take kindly to my teasing. After he'd calmed down just a bit, I asked him where he'd heard such drivel."

I hate it when she does these dramatic pauses. They are irritating and unnecessary. She always does this to get a rise out of me but this time, I am going to make her stew and force her to tell me what it is that she wants to tell me. I am not going to let her bait me this time. I'm not going to let her know about Alcide emailing me o where he heard the information from. I do want to know if he told her anything else that Russell may not have known.

Turning to face her, I said in a clear and secure tone, "It couldn't have been a viable source. If it had been, he would have called me himself to verify Sookie's status among the living. Since he did not, we have nothing to concern ourselves with."

A flash of surprise flickered in her eyes. "This is not like you, Eric. You always want to know everything; especially when it concerns Sookie."

I shrugged my shoulders and returned to my desk. "I'm at ease with the way things are with Sookie. She is safe and she knows how to defend herself. There is no reason for me to worry." Pam was about to crawl out of her skin.

She stood up from her chair and walked towards the door. She was determined that I was going to ask her; no beg for her to tell me what she knew. I was not going to give her the satisfaction. "May I stay here tonight? It will be dawn soon."

"Sure. You know where your room is."

When she reached the door, she stopped. With her back still facing me, she asked, "You're not going to stop me? You really don't want to know who the Were is? You don't want to how he heard about Sookie?"

I sat at my desk and started leafing through receipts. "If it were of importance, you would have told me already. Now, there is only a couple of hours before the dawn, I have to get this work done. I will see you at dusk tomorrow, my child."

Impatience filled the bond. She stormed back over to the seat before me and sat back down. "The Were was Alcide Herveaux. Alcide kept saying over and over again that Sookie wasn't supposed to be alive. He said that he was at her funeral. He said that he went to her former home the night before last and only the faery was there. That there was no sign of Sookie anywhere. He said that he doesn't know why but he could almost 'feel' her. He also said that there's a vampire talking about Sookie being back and how brave she is.

"I then told Alcide that maybe he wasn't a druggie or a drunk. Maybe he'd eaten tainted rabbit while on one of his full moon runs. As you may have expected, he ignored me and continued on with what has been told by this loudmouthed vampire. He has been talking about how she took revenge on the humans that held him and some other vampires captive. He said that this human is legend because she was staked trying to save Betty Jo's life. She was brought back to Russell's mansion and Russell helped save her life. The vampire is also saying that he was once one of your, ahem, bedmates. I find it interesting that you never told me about that but I digress. He also talked about Sookie and Rhodes. He knows a lot, this vampire. That vampire is called Bernard."

I remained calm. I ignored her comments about Bernard being my bedmate and went back to the conversation between me and Russell. Why didn't I piece Sookie's day to what Russell was saying? I didn't realize. It never occurred to me that the vampires that she saved were from his kingdom. I assumed that they were Louisiana vampires. That's why he thought he owed me. He thought that I'd sent Sookie to save the vampires. He knew that my lover has returned to me. That is why he told me that it was good that my life is the way that it was before.

But something else was bothering me. "Alcide was at the funeral?"

"Sure," Pam said.

"Everyone at the funeral believes that she's dead."

"They're supposed to," Pam answered slowly. She asked the question that I was thinking of. "How would he know? How does he even remember her? He hasn't seen her …has he?"

That was a question that I couldn't answer. He could have seen her going to work. He could have seen her as she was going to the grocery store. He could have seen her when she was going to meet with those BVA members. Maybe when she went back to Bon Temps, it helped him to remember her. Bill knew just as soon as she pulled into the driveway. When she went back to Bon Temps, something happened.

"Russell," I said. "He knows. He didn't come out and say it but he did say that he would handle the vampire that has been spreading the word about Sookie being alive. He knew that the word would get out." I thought about the night at the club when Sookie had first returned. He hadn't forgotten about her. Why?

"Are you going to call him?"

"I will."

"We can take care of it."

"We will take care of it."

"Now, tell me. What vampire's did she save and what humans did she take revenge against?"

Though the information that has been discussed this evening is on the forefront, I play it cool with Pam. I sat back in my chair and with my feet propped upon my desk and my arms folded behind my head. I looked at Pam and smiled. "It was something, I tell you. Sookie told me of the adventures that she had today and I was very proud of her." I nodded my head and closed my eyes. "Yes, I was very proud."

She looked at me smugly. "You couldn't have been too proud. I felt your …despair this evening." The comment came out sounding like a question but she knew better than to pose it as one.

With a simple wave of my hand and a nod of my head, I agreed with her. "That is true though I wouldn't quite use the term despair. Let's use concern. That sounds so much better. Concern did reside in me; for only a fleeting moment after she'd told me what she'd done. She could have been captured; killed even. We've discussed my concerns about what she did today and we've come to an agreement. She's promised not to go after our enemies on her own again. As you can very well see, my child, all is well within the Northman household." I chuckled as I removed my feet from the desk and put my feet back to the floor. Resting my elbows on my desk, I looked into Pam's eyes and decided to continue her punishment. "You would have been proud of your friend."

Pam scooted to the end of her chair. She looked like a child waiting for that last piece of Turkish Delights on Christmas morning. And just like a parent, I was going to make her wait.

"Her strength, Pam, is just amazing. She is so powerful. The way she described the evening to me made even me jealous. I would have given anything to have been there with her. I know that once you find out what happened, you will feel the same as I."

"What do you mean _'once you find out'_? You're not going to tell me? You're going to make me hear it through the grapevine like the minions, the nobodies?" Pam stood up from her seat and had what humans call a temper tantrum. Her hand was on her hip and she was patting her foot. She'd pulled a Sookie on me. "I am not a minion. I am not just anybody. I am your lieutenant. I am her friend. You cannot do this to me! You know that I can't hear about anything like that secondhand. I want to know what you know and I want to know now!" She paused and looked at me with her arms folded over her chest. A look of realization came over her face. "You son of a …"

"It would be in your best interest not to finish that sentence." There was a flicker of joy on my face; in my eyes. "It is quite irritating if the truth must be known. It is not fun is it?"

"You have my word, master. I will not do it again."

I watched Pam's face as I told her of the day that Sookie had. I told her that Sookie killed a couple of BVA members today. I told her of how she released hungry vampires from their silver cages and how they didn't harm her. They didn't want to harm her. Though they hadn't fed in days, they had no need to want to feed from her. I told Pam how they gathered around her as if they were protecting her. I told her that Sookie is expecting a packet with the information on where Steve Newlin and The Burner are located and any other information there is on the BVA and the FoTSs. I told her every detail. "She returned to us unharmed and unafraid. She was brave."

She usually conceals her emotions but not this time. Pam was completely surprised at what Sookie had done. "She's amazing. She stands with us now without shame. She didn't insist on turning them over to the human authorities. She _sent_ one of them to us to take care of. She tracked them down and handled it all on her own." Pam fell back in the chair; her arms dangling over the sides. "She's amazing," she repeated.

"A little too amazing."

"How so?" Pam's posture returned to normal.

"Her life is not like ours, Pam. We don't know what she is or how long she will live. We don't know what to expect when it comes to her. We've only seen Niall once and he spoke in riddles. We can't tell her this. We can't do that. If we do, we'll ruin everything. What can I do for her? It fears me to think that she doesn't need me to protect her. What if something happens and I'm not there?"

Without pause, Pam said, "You have to trust her. May I speak freely, master?"

"Yes."

"Eric, you can't be a hypocrite. You can't have it both ways. There have always been instances when you've left Sookie out of the loop because she was human. You felt that it was best that she didn't know what was going on or that you were protecting her. Remember Freyda? She did what you would have done. It's no different than your vampire business. The difference now is that it wasn't vampire business, it's Sookie's business."

"It is different," I said angrily.

"How so?"

I hate it when she makes sense. "That doesn't matter. It's just not the same."

"I understand your frustrations. What she did was dangerous and your feelings of _despair_ are valid but you can't shelter her anymore. We have to learn to let her grow. You said it yourself that since she's returned she's different. Let her be different. Don't make her feel like it's something wrong because it's not. What have you always told me?"

That was a simple and easy question. "Think logically."

"That's what you have to do. I mean, I know that she's just returned to us. I couldn't bear it if something happened to her. I couldn't but we can't always protect her." Softly, Pam added, "I do love her and I don't want to lose her again, but she is her own person." Pam didn't run away from her emotions. She decided to let herself feel.

I decided to tell her of Sookie's plans for tomorrow. "She's returning to Bon Temps tomorrow. She wants the rest of her memories and she doesn't want me with her. She wants to do it alone."

"You must let her," she said silently. "Will Mustapha be following her? I can call him."

I had to smile at her. "I've already called him. You are my child," I said proudly.

"What can I say? I learned from the best."

I went over and kissed her forehead. "It is almost dawn."

She stood up and hugged me. "Good night, Eric."

"Good night, my dearest child."

Before leaving, Pam said, "Master, earlier you asked what you could do for her."

"I did."

"Love her and let her be. Like Niall said, we can't interfere."

When Pam was gone, I went back to the picture window. I stared out at the horizon as I slowly closed the shutters to block out the pending sunlight. Before going to bed, I grabbed up my cell phone and made a phone call.

Russell answered on the first ring. "Yes?"

"This is Eric. His words have carried far and wide."

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all enjoy. Don't hesitate in letting me know what you think!**


	67. Chapter 67

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 67**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing the story. I can't thank you all enough for sticking with me. Y'all are the best of the best and I appreciate you more than you'll ever know. The reviews always make me smile. **

**The story is my idea but the characters belong to Charlaine Harris.**

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><p>When I woke up, I sat straight up in bed and I knew exactly where we were. We weren't staying at a motel. We weren't staying in an inn. We were in our home. It was the same home that we were supposed to move into before we had to go to New Orleans. This was supposed to be a safe haven for me. Our lives were being threatened but as far as Eric was concerned, only my life was important. He said that we needed to get away from Shreveport. At the time, I didn't know why. This was supposed to be where Eric and I started our new life. This is where we <em>will<em> start our new life. This is where we will begin again.

I looked down at my sleeping husband, and kissed him. "Thank you," I whispered. I nuzzled his neck and inhaled the sweet, vampiric scent that is my husband. I gave him a quick squeeze before jumping from the bed and running to the room that was just off of ours. That room used to be the nursery. It was a beautiful nursery. I can only imagine the joy that used to fill that room. The sounds of babies crying and laughing. The smells of baby lotion and messy diapers. The sounds of the mobiles as they played sweet and soothing music for their audience.

I remember that there used to be a time when I wanted a family so desperately. Gran made me want a family of my own with the way she doted on me and Jason and her own children. She loved packing healthy lunches and reading bedtime stories. She loved her children and her grandchildren without condition. We were everything to her. I wanted to be like Gran. It was a dream of mine but dreams don't always turn into reality. Having children, that's just not in the cards for me. I've chosen what I want and what I want is Eric and as we both know, vampires can't make babies. It's not meant for us to be parents and I'm okay with that. It's a life choice that I've come to terms with. The main reason the room needed to be changed is because five years ago when I'd come to terms with not having children, Eric hadn't. I could see it in his eyes, on his face. I could feel it. I knew then that he thought that I was throwing my life away by being with him. He didn't realize that he is my life. I didn't need children to make me happy. We didn't need a room reminding us of what would never be.

And just as I'd asked him to do five years ago, Mustapha had the room turned into an office for Eric. It was elegant and regal. It looked like the office of a king; jewel tones and old antique furniture. There were large leather couches and chairs scattered throughout. His desk was fit for a king; large and domineering. It was just like Eric. Just as he does, the office commanded respect. It was beautiful. It was just as I wanted it to be. The only thing that made that office look like the office of a married man was a picture of me and Eric on what was our wedding night. The picture hung proudly over the fireplace. I was dressed in a white crystal beaded gown. Eric looked as handsome as ever in his elegant black tux. Even a blind person could have seen the love on our faces that night. Who would have thought that it would take five years of being apart for us to be where we are now? That was the night that started it all.

I walked over to the picture and touched the frame. "I remember."

Visions of that moment played over again in my head. We were dancing and holding each other. Everyone was in the room but no one but only Eric and I existed. For that brief moment, everyone else in the world disappeared. We only had eyes for each other. Tears fell from my eyes as I began to recall what Eric had said to me that night.

His kiss was so sweet and delicate. It was the most beautiful kiss we'd ever shared. I could almost feel it as I looked up at the picture. The memory of that moment was so clear. When our kiss was broken, everyone that was in the room began to slowly fade away. Their faces and voices blended into the night. I stepped into my husband's embrace and tasted the sweetest taste I'd ever known. The warmth of our love filled us. It filled our hearts and souls. Our life as one had just begun.

"I love you," he said.

"You love me?"

"I love you."

"Yeah?" I asked as I brushed my lips over his. "Shout it to the world, then. Tell them all that you love me. Scream it at the top of your lungs so that the world can hear you say, _'I love Sookie Stackhouse__!_''" I kissed him. "Tell it to the world."

I remember how he looked down at me and brushed my hair from my face. His eyes were so beautiful. They were filled with love and adoration for me. He then leaned down and kissed my ear and whispered the sweetest words I've ever heard. "I love Sookie Stackhouse."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and I giggled. "You're supposed to shout it to the world."

Looking into my eyes, he said, "You are my world."

My life would no longer be the same. I was lost in Eric Northman. He is my warrior, my protector, and my fantastically handsome Viking. He is my everything. I would forever need him. I stood there and stared at the picture for a few extra minutes before I decided to go about getting ready for my day.

Eric made sure that preparing for my day would not be a hassle. Everything that I could ever need was there for me. The closets were filled with clothes. There were shoes of every color. There were gowns and underwear. Any and all toiletries that I was going to need were lined up neatly and beautifully on the bathroom shelf.

"He has spoiled me for any other man," I said. My heart was filled with love. No one outside of my family has ever treated me as Eric has. My life is happier than I could ever imagine. No one should be this happy.

I sang during my shower and as I prepared for my day. The outfit of choice was a pink silk blouse with an olive green pantsuit with matching heels. I wanted to keep things simple but not too simple. I decided to wear my hair in a stylish yet messy ponytail. And to not appear slutty or cheap, I applied only a little makeup. Today was going to be a big day. I needed to make a statement. When I get to Bon Temps, I want them all to know that Sookie Stackhouse-Northman has arrived. I want them all to know that I am a force to be reckoned with and I couldn't do that with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Plus I want to look amazing when I finally get to see my brother.

Once I was dressed and ready, I realized that I had more than enough time to look around the house. I wanted to know if each room was furnished and if Pam and I would be able to go shopping for furniture and knickknacks. We could shop for wallpaper and paint. Pam and I could start our own DIY project. I've never decorated an entire house before. The house that I live in now was already furnished. There wasn't anything that I needed to do there. The house was furnished with Gran and grandpa's old stuff; or so I'd thought. This would be a new thing for me. It would be great to be able to decorate our home. I can't wait to be to decorate the home that I'm going to share with my husband.

Since it was almost time for me to go, I ran to the bedroom door to leave. Alas, I could not get out. The door did not budge. I was locked in. Eric and I needed to do something about that. This is like the second time this has happened. I could have popped myself out but I wanted to know if he'd done this on purpose or if he'd left me the code so that I could go to Bon Temps. And guess what? He did. When I looked at the nightstand by my side of the bed, I saw it. There was a note lying underneath my cell phone. I grabbed my cell and the note.

_My Lover, _

_I would prefer that you did not go to Bon Temps without me today but I understand your insistence on doing so. It pleases me to know that you are going to ask the witch to go with you and it calms me …a little. I realize that you have to face your past. I will not argue with you. For I know that it will be a losing battle on my end. So, I have called Mustapha to let him know that he needs to be on hand just in case you need him. Also, your car was delivered last night. And lover, please, be safe._

_I love you,_

_E._

_P.S. The code to leave the room is your birthday. Tonight, we can take a tour of our new home together. _

It pleased me to know that he wasn't trying to keep me locked in. And as far as touring the house this morning, I guess I can and will wait until tonight. If he wanted us to tour the house together, then that is what we were going to do. I entered the code and walked out of our bedroom with ease and grace. When I closed the door behind me, the room was securely locked once again.

The child in me came out when I saw the floors of the hallway. They were long and shiny. They were a child's dream; thoughts of slipping and sliding up and down those floors. I wanted to kick off my shoes and go sliding across the beautiful hardwood floors. I was tempted to look in each of the bedrooms but I didn't. It was torture; complete torture. It was about to kill me. I wanted to run through our home as if I was a child but I contained my excitement.

It almost killed me.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I had to catch my breath. The foyer was absolutely exquisite. There were oversized windows that were almost the length of the wall. There were two staircases that elegantly adorned the right and left sides of the walls. I couldn't decide on which staircase I wanted to use. I do know that if I hadn't been dressed in my business suit that I would have ridden the banister all the way to the bottom. I walked slowly down each stair; doing my best to compose myself. I'm proud to say that I remained a grownup.

After what felt like an hour, I finally reached the bottom step. I walked slowly to the front door. The echo of my heels was so loud that I feared that I'd wake Eric. On the table by the door were my car keys. I slowly reached for the doorknob and turned around to look at the staircase before opening the door. Suddenly, I dropped my keys back onto the table and kicked off my heels. I ran back up the stairs and when I reached the top, I straddled the banister and I rode it all the way to the bottom. I giggled like a teenage girl. It was the best feeling in the world. I couldn't wait to see Jason. When I bring him home with me, I know that he's going to ride the banister with me. The race would be on.

I couldn't wait to get to Bon Temps.

When I pulled out of the driveway, I saw Mustapha sitting in his car by the curb. I blew the horn and waved at him. He gave a quick toot and pretty soon he was cranked and driving behind me.

At least Eric is trying. He loves me and he's not treating me like a helpless toddler. He's just doing what a husband's supposed to do. Look after his wife. Worry for her well being and safety. I wouldn't expect anything less. After all, he is a vampire and I know that it has to be hard for him to relinquish power and control. He's used to being in charge. Maybe in time he will see that things change. Nothing ever stays the same…except for vampires.

Instead of going to the office, I turned into the parking lot of the local Denny's restaurant. When Mustapha pulled up beside me, I let down my window and said, "I'm starved. Have you eaten breakfast?"

"If you call a cup of coffee breakfast, I have," he replied. Using his head to point in the direction of the restaurant, he said, "Good choice. They have great steak and eggs _and_ they have a special going on right now. Let's go grab a bite."

There was no need in asking me twice. I got out of the car and walked to the door. Without needing to look, I knew that Mustapha was right behind me. We walked to the back of the restaurant and took a corner booth.

When I sat with my back to the door, Mustapha shook his head no. "You sit beside me. You never sit with your back to the door. I don't care how many minds you can read."

"I checked everything out," I said. "We're safe. No one knows who we are. They think that we are an interracial couple out to have a nice breakfast."

"I don't care what they think. You don't sit with your back to the door."

I did as Boss Khan said and sat beside him. After our server came to take our order of steak and gravy, eggs and hashbrown potatoes, I asked Mustapha about his wife. When I asked him, I had no idea that she was now his ex-wife. What I learned is that they'd divorced a couple of years ago because they hadn't been getting on in quite sometime. It made me feel bad that I was so happy with Eric and Mustapha's marriage had broken up. Needless to say, after that little bit of information, I didn't have much else to say. We sat in silence for a few minutes but from the look on his face, I knew that Mustapha had something that he wanted to ask me and because I'm Eric's wife, he couldn't. I helped out.

"Go on and ask me," I said.

Mustapha rolled his eyes. "I hate it when you do that."

"I wasn't in your head. I could see it on your face so go on and ask me. What do you want to know?"

"Where were you all the time that you were gone? What happened to you?"

"I wish I knew." I really did. I don't remember where I was or who I was with. I know that Niall granted me the wish of happiness but for now, that's all I know. "I think that once I go back to Bon Temps, I'll get the answers that I need."

"That's a good idea. You need to find out where you came from and what you were like in the past. My granny always said that your past makes you what you are today." He paused before asking me the real question that was about to eat a hole in his head. "Have you told Eric …?" He didn't get to finish his question because the server brought us our breakfast.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked.

I looked at her name tag and said, "No thank you, Betty. We will call you if we do need anything else."

Betty smiled and walked away.

"She's cute," I said to Mustapha when she left.

"I don't do well with matchmaking." He took a swallow of coffee and said, "Anyway, I'm already seeing someone."

"Really? Who is she?"

"Doesn't matter. Answer my question."

After I ate a couple bites of steak, I looked at Mustapha and asked, "Have I told Eric what?"

This time he decided to evade the question. "Is it good?"

I ate a forkful of the hashbrowns and nodded with a shrug. "Pretty good. The potatoes are a little bland. I like onion salt on mine. Now ask me what you want to know."

Mustapha took another swallow of his coffee and a quick bite of his toast before he asked me the big question. "About what you can do? I don't think you've ever told him about what you did to Sarah Newlin and the other girl; you weren't exactly looking like you do now." He leaned forward and starting whispering. "He needs to know about everything that you can do."

"I told him that I would tell him later and later just hasn't come around yet. There are some things that I have to do first. Anyway, I thought that he knew what I could do different things."

Mustapha shook his head no. "When you were alive the first time, the only thing that you could do was read minds. That's what Eric thought; just like the rest of us. You were a telepath. You couldn't change what you look like. You couldn't read minds at really far off distances. You couldn't see at far off distances; especially not in the dark. Remember New Orleans? And from what the other vampires say about you, you sure as hell didn't want to go around killing people. Now that you're back, you've got all these special things that you can do. There's no telling what else hides behind those eyes."

"I'm going to tell him," I said.

"You can't keep what you are and what you can do a secret. And as far as later goes, later should have been months ago as far as telling him about what you can do."

"I said that I'm going to tell him." He was beginning to piss me off. He was making me feel like I was purposely hiding the truth from Eric.

"When?"

"I don't know. Look Mustapha, I'm not even sure of what I am. What am I supposed to tell Eric? That I'm some freak of nature and I'm proud? Do I tell him that I have these magical powers but I don't know why? He seems to know where I was for the five years that I was gone but won't tell me so what am I supposed to do? You seem to have all of the answers, Mr. Know It All. Tell me what you would do."

I began shifting my food around on my plate. I'd lost my appetite and my coffee was probably cold. I knew that he was right. I needed to tell Eric but what am I supposed to say to him? It must be great to be able to give suggestions with no resolutions.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "You didn't deserve that. I know that you are only trying to look out for me but everyone keeps telling me that I need to this and that I need to do that but no one will tell me where I was. No one is willing to give me a leg up."

"I am and I'm sorry that I can't give you the answers that you're looking for. I'd hate for something to happen to you. You can't let this linger on like you're doing. Look, don't take this the wrong way," he started. "Eric was different when you left. Not in a scary way but not in a good way either."

My fork clanked onto the plate. My pity party was over pretty quick when I heard those words. I turned to face him and asked, "How was he different?"

Mustapha looked me right in the eyes when he spoke his next words. "We didn't know if he'd stay alive or if he'd meet the sun."

"Why are you saying this?"

"Because you need to hear it. You are powerful but you can still be taken, Sookie. Even the most powerful creatures can fuck up. If the wrong people find out about you and they take you away, can you imagine what he will do to get you back? I can damn well guarantee that this time, Eric won't sit around and wait for your return. He will kill anyone or anything that gets in the way of you two." Mustapha chuckled. "Hell, he went five years without you. He's not going to going one day without you. Eric's not going to let anyone take you away from him. He'd meet the true death first."

The thought of him getting into some type of trouble over me worried me. I've seen Eric angry and it's not a pretty sight. I sure as hell wasn't going to let him meet the true death. That was not an option. I can't live without him either. We are one soul. We are one heart. We are no longer one person. Together, Eric and I can conquer anything. I'm not going to let anything happen to him or to me. We'll be fine. Mustapha will see.

"Would you two like some more coffee?" Betty asked us.

Mustapha placed his hand over his mug and shook his head. I told her no. The intensity of the air must have been enough for her to know not to say anything else. She slowly walked away without looking back. Once Betty was out of earshot, Mustapha began talking again.

"Look, I'm going to tell you something that I didn't tell Eric when he called me last night; which was probably a big mistake. There's some talk about the human in Shreveport. They're saying that she released some vampires that were being held captive. They're talking about how brave she was and how she let the vampires exact revenge on the humans that were holding them captive. From what I hear, she looks human but she isn't. Everyone in the supe world's talking about her. Your name has been mentioned, Sookie. You have to be careful."

Why do the men in my life feel as if they have the right to tell me what to do? I am more than capable of taking care of myself and anyone else that comes along. I will not be taken. Eric will not have to go on a rampage to get me back. We will be just fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to us. I'm definitely not going to let a bunch of gossiping vamps come in between me and what's mine.

"You and Eric are trying to turn me into this pretty little housewife. That's not what I am or what I want to be. Why is it so bad if I stand up and protect what's mine? Would you be saying any of this if it was Eric?"

"You're not Eric. You're different. You're not like the rest of us. If you don't slow your roll, Sookie, you will not only be an asset to your husband's kingdom but a liability as well."

I flinched at his words. A liability to my husband? Is that what he just said to me?

He placed his hand on top of mine. "You have to see what I'm saying."

"Well, I don't," I snapped and jerked my hand away. "Did you really just call me a liability?"

He huffed and placed his massive hand on his forehead. "I didn't mean it that way."

"You did too. You think that I would be the cause of Eric losing everything if I don't sit back and smile." I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest. "Well I'm sorry to say that I'm not that woman. I am _not_ going to do that."

"You're just different than Eric. You two are not the same. You're more."

"I'm no different than he is. I'm no different than you are. You see a small fragile woman instead of a protector of what's hers. If there is something that needs to be done and I can do it, then I should be able to do it. And I'm not going to apologize for it. If I'm so different then let me be different."

"And I agree that you should be proud of who and what you are and what you can do but you shouldn't put yourself in danger when you have others that are more than willing to help you. When Eric's resting during the day, you can call on me and Warren." Mustapha leaned across the table and said, "If you'd come to us, your name wouldn't be floating around out there. They wouldn't be talking about you."

"Let them talk. I had only one goal and that was to keep vampire lives from being taken because they are vampires. They hadn't done anything wrong and it's not fair that they be treated like third rate citizens. I was only trying to help. And by the by, I can take care of myself. I don't need a babysitter."

Mustapha shook his head. "Women; you women are so hard headed. It's not about you taking care of yourself. After the stunt that you pulled yesterday, everyone in the supe world knows that you can take care of yourself. It's about you being safe and you can be safe by telling Eric what you can do and when you're going to do it. If you and Eric are one, you need to stop thinking like an individual. Stop being so selfish."

He sounded as if he wanted me to deny myself the right to protect those that I love. "I'm not thinking only of myself. I did what I did because I love Eric. I want to keep my friends protected. The information that I needed was right there and I couldn't wait until first dark to get it. I had to make my move. It was my chance and I took it. Eric and I talked about it. I've made him a promise to never go out on anymore dangerous missions without him. If he's fine with it there really isn't any reason why you shouldn't be."

Mustapha fell back against the hard cushioning of the booth and looked at me. He shook his head and then motioned for the waitress to come to our table. When Betty came over to see what he wanted he told her that he wanted the ticket. "It's time for my friend here to get to work."

Betty smiled and said, "Sure thing. I'll be right back."

When she was gone, he didn't say anything else.

The silence was uncomfortable and unbearable so I ended it. "What? What's the problem?"

"You," he said. "You're the problem. You won't listen. You're so headstrong that you won't listen."

"It's not about …"

The waitress came over and brought him the ticket. Mustapha paid the bill and told her to keep the change. He slid out of the booth and waited for me as I slid out behind him. He didn't want to hear the rest of what I had to say. We walked to our cars in silence.

When we walked outside, I grabbed him by his arm and turned him around to face me. "Mustapha," I began.

He raised his hand and said, "I'll be right behind you. I'll be with you for the rest of the day. You may not think that you need a babysitter but you do. If you won't listen to reason, it's my responsibility to keep you safe until your husband rises for the night."

He got into his car and pulled out his cell phone as he waited for me to get into my car. I looked at the Were one last time before getting in. He put on his shades and cranked his car. He made me so mad. I stuck my tongue out at him and got into my car and drove off. They were worrying over me for nothing. I am going to be just fine. Eric is a vampire and they are always protective over what belongs to them. And anyway, Mustapha didn't know what he was talking about. Eric came to terms with me doing my thing last night.

Eric has never once told me that he didn't want me to be me. He has only said that he wants me to be careful. He should feel that way. I am his wife and I did leave him once before. And I could have been hurt when I'd gone off on my own. He didn't say that he wasn't proud of what I did for those vampires. He was only worried about me. I then thought about what Mustapha said. The supe world is talking about me and what I did for those vampires.

I smiled at that revelation. I felt pride. It didn't bother me one bit. I want them to know what Eric's wife can do. I'm not going to hide and I'm sure as shit not going to pretend that I can't take care of myself because of what supes are saying about me. They all know that they'd better not fuck with my husband or any vampires in my area or any other supes for that matter.

I looked in the rearview mirror at Mustapha and the smile from earlier broadened. "I'm glad that my name is circulating throughout the supe world. That's how it should be. They all know not to fuck with the Northmans."

I turned on my radio and headed to my office.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all enjoyed. Please let me know what you think.**


	68. Chapter 68

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 68**

**Everything was going so great but as we all know that in life, there are always little hiccups. I also received a couple of private messages from a couple readers who said that they were disappointed in me b/c Sookie has become a little too arrogant. I'm sorry that they've decided to stop reading the story but it happens. I intend to make Sookie stronger by taking her in this direction. I can't make everyone happy w/each chapter and I apologize for that. She's coming into her own and it's new to her. She doesn't know that she's put herself in danger b/c she doesn't remember any of that. Maybe it's that hidden fae gene and it's making an appearance. Maybe it has happened for a different reason. In the end, I promise, Sookie will find her way. She always does. And I have to warn you, if you were pissed off at Sookie during the last chapter, you're going to want to beat the crap out of her this chapter...the next one too, probably.**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. If I didn't send you a PM, I apologize. I didn't mean to overlook anyone. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy and have a great weekend. And as always, let me know what you think. **

**I also want to say that any and all main characters that are used in this story belong to Charlaine Harris. The story is mine. This goes for the past, present, and future chapters.**

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><p>I stood at Amelia's office door and watched her as she uploaded something from her IPad to her desktop, typed on her laptop, and talked on her cell phone all at once. She is the queen of the multi-taskers. Her head nods and uh-huhs sounded like music to my ears. It was great to see her doing human things and acting like a human. After the things I'd done yesterday, seeing her do every day things made <em>me<em> feel a little more human and I haven't felt human in a very long time. Seeing Amelia this morning, gave me what I was looking for.

I've always loved seeing that big smile on her beautiful face. Those big brown eyes are always so full of life and her need for that little something extra has always made her out to be so much more than meets the eye. I don't just mean her witchy-ness. What I mean is that little spark that's always in her eyes when she finds out that there is something new in this world; something new and exciting. She's never been one to turn away when she discovers that there's more to this world. She wants to know what it is and she wants to be a part of it. I think that's what I love most about her.

"Hey you," I said once she'd gotten off of the phone.

When she looked at me, she didn't have that big smile on her beautiful face and her big brown eyes weren't only full of life. They were also full of anger. She was pissed off and in a major way. And if I didn't know any better, I'd think that she was mad at me. "Well, look at who's here. It's an eagle. It's a jet. It's Super Sookie."

Okay. She is mad at me.

From the tone that she'd just given me, I knew that she wasn't joking. She didn't look like she was in a joking mood. She wasn't going to take her bad phone call out on me. I was here to visit her and invite her to go with me. I wasn't in the mood for her stinky attitude. If she needed to talk then I'm here but she is _not_ going to give me any crap.

"What's crawled up your ass?" I asked as I flopped down on her couch.

"You," she said as she pointed at me with her head and then at her phone with her finger. "I heard about your superhero antics. What were you thinking when you did what you did yesterday? You could've been killed! Where was Eric during all of this? Don't you have bodyguards are something that are supposed to keep you safe?"

"You want to quiet down a little bit. Cecilia is sitting at her desk. Stop being a mother hen. Eric was in his daytime rest and I don't have bodyguards. If you are talking about Mustapha and Warren, they were doing their own thing. I didn't have to call them. Nothing happened to me. I wasn't killed and I'm fine."

Amelia looked at me like I was half nuts. "Are you seriously acting as if you did nothing wrong?" She threw her hands up in the air as she ranted and raved. "Please tell me that you're kidding. You shouldn't be so nonchalant about this! Do you realize that you are the talk of the supe world? That was Octavia on the phone. The witch community is talking about you. They're wondering which coven you're with and how said coven got such a powerful witch. They were pissed to hear that we're friends and you're not in our coven. She called to let me know to warn you. What were you thinking?"

I let my head fall back onto the arm of the chair. "I've heard that the supe community has my name on their lips. Mustapha told me the same thing this morning over breakfast. What's the big whoop? They can't do anything to me. I belong to Eric."

"That was extremely selfish you. Do you realize what you could've done? Did you think about anyone other than yourself?" She turned her nose up at me and shook her. "By the way you're acting this morning, I can see that you didn't. Who do you think you are? You had no right."

"Look, I've already had this conversation with Mustapha and I'm not going to have it again. Just as I told him, I've had the talk with Eric. I told him that I would not do it anymore. I promised him that I wouldn't go out like that on my own again. Okay? I'm not going to do it again. You all are acting as if I was caught by the human police or something. I wasn't. I will not do it again."

"It's not about the humans, Sookie. The damage is probably already done. If they are talking about you…"

I sat up on the couch and looked at her before cutting her off with a wave of my hand. "Let them talk. They'll know that they can't run over us. Eric and I are a force to be reckoned with. You're acting like I can't take care of myself. I didn't do anything that Eric wouldn't have done." With a little more force to my voice, I added, "Or any other supe for that matter. Give me a break."

She then had the same look on her face that Mustapha had on his. The only difference is that her tone was a lot harsher than his and she didn't try to hide her fear of losing me. "You put your life in danger and you sit there and act as if it's no big deal. Well, it is a big deal, Sookie; especially to those of us that love you. It's not all about you. When you were gone, we all had to make sacrifices. We shouldn't have to make anymore to pacify your overweening ego."

She stared daggers at me. I'd never known for Amelia to be so angry before. She's never talked to me like that. I couldn't blame her. Sacrifices were made because of me and I shouldn't take their sacrifices lightly. Each of my friends had to live their lives without me and for that I'm sorry. I didn't do it to boost my ego. I only wanted to help. That's all I've ever wanted to do.

In a humbler tone, I acknowledged her concerns. "That was never my intentions."

"It's never anyone's intention. You ran off yesterday like Annie Oakley with both guns blazing and didn't think about any of us or the consequences of your actions. You just want to be praised for what you've done. You shouldn't be praised for running off half-cocked. You don't know what it means to have others know what you can do." Tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away before they had a chance to fall.

"I won't do it again," I whispered.

Speaking more to herself than to me, she said, "You don't know what you've done."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind," she said. "You just can't do this anymore. Life wasn't the same without you. Eric wasn't the same without you. He's already had to go five years in this world alone; don't think that he'll go one more day without you by his side. He'll kill anyone that threatens what you and he have. Don't put him through that again. He doesn't deserve that. None of us do."

It took a few minutes for her words to register. How does she know that Eric wasn't the same without me? She told me that she had never have heard of him until he'd sent me those flowers. She even told me that she'd never met Eric until that night at the Sit 'N Spin. I looked at her through narrowed eyes. There she was blasting me about being careless and she may be keeping secrets from me. It took everything in me not to read her mind. My voice was a little edgier than I'd planned on it being when I called her out on what she'd said.

"How do you know what Eric was like when I was gone? You said that you didn't know him. And you keep referring to _us_ when you say that sacrifices had to be made. How are you included in those sacrifices?"

Her big brown eyes went blank. Her face was expressionless. "I didn't know him. I'm basing my response on what I've heard about him. You know, what I mean. My comments are based on what you've told me. Many people have said that he was withdrawn and lonely. He wasn't as carefree as he was in the past. I'm just saying that I don't want to end up feeling the way that he did. Chill out, Sook. I didn't mean anything by it." Her earlier attitude of anger was replaced with passivity and endearing kindness.

I then did what I didn't want to do. Her mind told me that she was being truthful with her words but her body language was telling me something different. Something wasn't right but I had to believe her. She's never lied to me and she's never betrayed me. There's no reason at all for me not to believe in what she said.

"I apologize, Amelia," I finally replied to her. "I won't go off with my guns blazing again. I won't turn into Annie Oakley. I'll always be plain old Sookie. I'll only go with Eric and if I need help, I will call on Mustapha and Warren. I'll even call you if I just so happen to need a witch." With my right hand raised, I said, "Scout's honor."

"Okay," she replied. "I'm going to hold you to that."

"You can. And as far as getting an attitude with you, again, I apologize. I know that you wouldn't know how Eric was while I was away. I'm just paranoid when it comes to my past life. Eric and my vampires know where I was during those five years but won't tell me. They say that they can't say anything. I guess it's making me second guess everyone else too."

She gave me a small smile.

"I know that you don't know what's going on." I leaned my head back onto the arm of the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "My grandfather wouldn't have any reason at all to approach you. He's only met you once and he wasn't very polite then." He turned his nose up at Amelia the first time he'd met her but he was civil to her.

Amelia instantly change the subject. I guess she didn't like the thought of my grandfather not coming to her as he did my vampires. Amelia's always believed herself to be a superior witch. She's so full of herself, that she thinks that anyone should feel as if she can be counted on. She's arrogant but I do love her. "Let's not do this. I just want you to be safe. That's all any of us have ever wanted. Anyway," she said with a more cheerful voice, "you look different this morning. I can only assume that the big Viking used you as a spinning top on his legendary sized …"

"Don't you say it," I said. "But I do feel good today." I sat up and walked slowly over to Amelia's desk and started waving my fingers back and forth.

"Bitch!" she exclaimed. She grabbed my fingers and admired the ruby and diamond platinum ring. "Is that a wedding ring? Did you suck his …?"

"Don't you dare say it, Amelia Broadway!"

Amelia began giggling. "Even if you did or if you didn't, I'm happy for you. Now answer my question. Is that a wedding ring? Did you get married and not invite me? Please, don't you dare tell me that you got married and you didn't invite me," she said.

"We didn't have a wedding ceremony like other people do. We made up our own vows and that was that. It was perfect. We don't need that extra stuff. My Gran's ring symbolizes old and true love. The new ring symbolizes our new beginning. I'm so in love with him. I've never been this happy in my life."

Amelia's face softened. "If anyone deserves happiness, it's you."

"_And_ we have a new house for us to start our new lives in. Can you believe it?!"

She smiled. "In one night, you got a ruby and diamond platinum ring. You got yourself a re-husband and a new house. You are _the_ luckiest bitch I've ever known."

I took a bow and said, "Don't I know it? You are going to have to come over to our house. You won't believe how beautiful and _huge_ it is." I described parts of the house that I'd seen to her. Her colors told me that she truly was happy for me.

She began typing on her laptop again. "By the way, you look really pretty. What's up? Do you and the Viking have plans after work?"

"Not really but I know that he'll be with me as soon as he rises," I said.

"He should be with you. He's your husband." She smiled prettily at me and went back to tapping away on her computer.

I hated to think this but something was up with Amelia. She wasn't acting like herself. I expected her to get angry when I told her about the vows that Eric and I exchanged. She was supposed to want to be there whether it was a regular ceremony or not. It has always been our plan to be a part of each other's weddings. But she just sat there and typed on her laptop. When she glanced up at me, I saw it. There was something in her eyes. Something was wrong but before I could ask her, she started talking.

"Why are you eyeballing me, Sookie? What's going on?" she said as an uneasy smile spread across her face. Before I could answer her, she started talking about my outfit. "You look really nice today. You've always looked good in olive green. The color really sets off your tan. The pants suit is to die for. Oh, and I love your hair."

"Thanks," I said as I looked down at myself. "Pam must have bought this suit for me. I found it in the closet this morning with tons of other clothes. I fell in love with it as soon as …"

"Have you seen all of your patients already?"

What is up with her today?

"Yeah. I only had two; Katie and Douglass. I have a home visit with Remy and Hunter tomorrow. With everything that's going on with them, I told him that I'd meet with Hunter there. I then had to pick up a file from Mr. Haynes' office and that was it. So, yeah, I'm done for the day." I looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. "Are you okay? You don't seem to be right …you're different. You're not acting like yourself."

"Sure," she said with a wave her hand. "I'm just tired. You the that looks like she's up to no good. I should be asking you that question. What are _you_ up to?"

"You know," I said.

She looked at me and said, "No. I don't"

"Yeah well," was all that I could think to say. It made absolutely no sense.

"You're not up to anything?"

"Nope."

"If that's your story, I guess I'll go along with it." Amelia could always tell when I was up to something. It's been that way since college. "Well," she said. "You never got to tell me what your meeting with Mr. Haynes was about yesterday. Did everything go well?"

"Perfect," I replied. "It was absolutely perfect. He's not going to have another person taking over my case load. I'm going to be the only one that works with my children. Their secrets will remain secret."

"That's great. I know that you were worried about that. I'm glad that everything worked out for you. And I checked on the wards that I placed on their homes and they're still holding strong."

"You are so great. Amelia, I want you to know that I really appreciate what you did for my kids and all. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know. You've always needed me." She winked at me and went back to her typing. "Did you come down here to take me out to eat or something? It's 1:00. We can go to The Courtyard. They have the best chicken flautas in the world."

My face lit up. "That's another reason why I came to see you; to apologize for standing you up and to invite you out on a little excursion with me." Looking at my watch, I added, "We can go to The Courtyard and then I want us to go to this new place that I've heard of. Are you up to it?" I knew that she would want to go. Amelia loves anything that is on sale and free. It's hard to believe that she comes from a family of millionaires. I've never met a cheaper person in my entire life. Well, outside of Gran.

"Great," she replied. "I just have to finish updating this account and we can go. Where are we going? It had better not be that damned Jack 'N the Box. I'm sick and tired of that place."

"They have _the_ best milkshakes in town," I protested.

"Their milkshakes are to die for but how many of their shakes can you have already? I can't believe that your hips haven't expanded. Your stomach is as flat as ever and your ass is perfect. You make me so sick." She shook her head at me as she continued to tap away on her laptop keys.

"All I can say about that is that I come from excellent genes." Both of us laughed away the problems of earlier.

"So, you said that we were going to go somewhere. Where are we going?"

"You never ask where we're going when I invite you to go out somewhere. You usually like to be surprised."

"Look at how you're dressed. If you're dressed to the nines, I want to be dressed to the tens. I want to look good too. So, where are we going?"

"Bon Temps," I answered.

I heard the laptop keys go quiet. I think I heard her hold her breath but I'm not quite sure. "Why Bon Temps?" she asked, still looking at her idle fingers.

I said, "Because one trip wasn't enough."

What she did next surprised me more than anything. She jumped up from her chair and knocked the bonsai tree off of the edge of her desk. She should have done that when I told her that Eric and I exchanged wedding vows and she wasn't invited; not because I mention the town of Bon Temps. Another surprising moment? She didn't bother to pick up the tree. She stepped right over it. Leaving a mess? Not asking me why she wasn't invited to our wedding? That's not like Amelia. My Amelia would've picked that tree up before she continued a conversation with me or anyone else. My Amelia would've had choked me senseless for not calling and telling her about my and Eric's new home but not this Amelia. This Amelia ran over to join me on the couch and asked me about Bon Temps.

"What do you mean '_one trip wasn't enough'_? When did you go to Bon Temps?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "It's Bon Temps, not Paris."

"When did you go?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Couple of nights ago," I said with a scrunched up face. "What do you care? Don't go acting like Eric. He didn't want me going to Bon Temps without him and here you go acting all weirded out because I _went_ to Bon Temps. I calmed him down when I told him that I'd ask you to go with me and let Mustapha tag along but now I'm thinking that I made a huge mistake by even telling you. What's up with you Amelia? Every since I've been in your office today, you've been acting awfully strange. And don't tell me that it's because of what I did yesterday. I won't buy it."

"Eric knows that you went to Bon Temps?" She sounded surprised.

"Yeah. He came there to get me."

"What happened when you went there?"

"What's the big deal?"

"What happened, Sookie?"

"Answering a question with a question," I replied. "That's never a good sign." I giggled but the giggle was a short lived one.

She grabbed me by my shoulders and repeated her question. "You have to tell me what happened."

She'd completely ignored my question. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that she was upset that I went without her. On second thought, it was almost like she was mad that I'd gone at all. She's acting as if I wasn't supposed to go.

I dropped my shields and went into her mind. It was all frazzled and jumbled up with so many thoughts that I couldn't decipher what was going on in her head. Again, Amelia's mind was giving me nothing but her eyes told me everything. Amelia was afraid …no, she was terrified because I went to Bon Temps.

"Please, Sookie," she begged. "Tell me what happened."

"Okay. Do you want to let go of my arms first."

"Sorry," she said as she dropped her hands in her lap.

"I told you about the Arlene Fowler incident, right? Well, when I was heading home after my phone call with you, I ended up …there, in Bon Temps. It was so trippy, ya know? It was just like that time I ended up at Fangtasia. Do you remember the baby shower that I was supposed to go to? It was supposed be held at that place called Merlotte's?"

She nodded.

"Anyway, instead of going to Merlotte's, I ended up at Fangtasia. It happened the exact same way.I was going home and then all of a sudden, I was on this dark and lonely road. There were no street lights or anything. I didn't recognize any of the sites but I wasn't afraid. I just kept driving. I drove until I ended up at the end of a driveway. A big yellow farmhouse was waiting for me at the end of it. And Amelia, it was so familiar. I didn't know where I was at first but when I went inside, something happened."

For the next hour or so, way past 1:00, I told Amelia what happened when I went inside the house. I told her about the visions and the memories. I told her that I'd gotten to talk to Gran and how amazing it felt to be able to see her and to have her hold me. I told her how wonderful I'd felt after I'd gone there. I wanted her to share in my joy. I expected her to show some type of emotion. I mean, I wanted her to be happy that I'd found some of the missing pieces to my life. I at least wanted a smile or something but all I got was a long, sad face.

"Why are you so down Amelia? I got to see Gran. I was able to remember the childhood that I'd forgotten. I was able to remember some of the shameful parts of my life that I blamed myself for and ran from. The best part is that I looked at myself in the mirror and I was proud of who was standing there. I think that's why I'm so happy that I'm fighting for what's mine." With a shrug of my shoulders, I said, "I never meant to be careless with my life but I'm happy, Amelia, and I want to keep being happy. That's why I have to go back to Bon Temps. I know that if I go to Merlotte's, I'll find what I'm looking for. If I can't find it there, I'll find what I'm looking for somewhere in that town."

"I know," she whispered. Her face was sullen and bleak. The life in her eyes was gone. She only stared at me. Her eyes were sad and small. There were no bubbles and there was no joy. She was just there.

"Then why do you look sad? Why do you look as if it's the worst thing that could have happened? It's a good thing that I ended up there. I'm not running anymore, Amelia. I don't want to run anymore. I even figured out why I was missing pieces of my life. It was because of the gift that I asked my grandfather for.

"He offered me anything that I wanted for my wedding gift. I told him that I wanted happiness for me and my vampires. I said that I didn't want the old life that I had before and that's what he gave me. It never occurred to me that I would get it. I remember how he asked me several times if I was sure of what I wanted. And I told him that I was. I thought that I was doing something so great. I wasn't. Only I didn't realize that it was the biggest mistake of my life. I couldn't have true happiness without loving everything about me; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I was ashamed of whom I was but I'm not anymore. I know that there is more missing and I have to find it. I want to know all of me; not just certain parts. I want to know what type of people I grew up around. I want to know if they made an impact on my life. I want to know what I am and where I was for those five years that I was gone. I know that I won't find what I'm looking in Shreveport. I'm making progress, Amelia. I would think that you would be happy for me."

Her eyes were trained on her hands. "I am happy for you, Sookie," she finally said in the weakest and smallest voice I'd ever heard her use. "It's just that... I don't know. It's just so much to handle right now. Maybe you need to relax and just take it all in before you decide on how you feel and especially before you decide to go back. With the supe world talking about you, maybe you should lay low for awhile. You know. Stay close to Eric."

"I don't need time, Amelia, and I don't need to lay low. I know what I feel and I feel like finding my past and going to see my brother. It has been five long years and I'm ready to go to him. I'm ready to apologize to him for making him believe that I've been dead for all of this time." Taking Amelia's hand into my own, I said, "You have to understand why I need to do this. I need to find me and I need to see Jason. He needs to know that I'm alive."

I can't wait to see Jason. It must have been hell on him. He believed me to be dead and I did that to him. I wonder what his life has been like. I'll bet Jason's married now. That would be so cool; to have a sister-in-law that I can hang out with during the daylight hours. We can go out to lunch and have dinner parties. We can go to each other's houses on the holidays. It'll be so great if he has children. I would be an aunt. Auntie Sookie. That would be so cool. It's going to be so great to have my family with me again.

Amelia didn't say anything. She didn't agree with me. She didn't smile. She didn't feel any excitement. She didn't feel anything. Again, I went into her mind and it was just as it was before; frazzled and jumbled with fear. This was not like Amelia. She has always been one that's ready for adventure but today? She wasn't in the mood for adventure. She was sad and sullen.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't go with you."

"We go everywhere together. We do everything together. We are a team. We have always been Sookie and Amelia or Amelia and Sookie. Why can't you go? Are you worried about what Jason's going to think of you? Don't worry about that. He'll love you. And I know that you'll like him. You'll have to be wary of him, though. He's a complete horndog but he's a lovable horndog. Well, he used to be a horndog. Hopefully, he's changed." I giggled as I thought of my brother's antics.

"It's not that. I just … I just can't go."

This was beginning to piss me off. No more Mrs. Nice Girl. She was going to tell me what was going on. "You're going to give me a reason why. I'm not going to settle for _'I just can't go'_. I want to know why. You've never stood me up before and I'm not letting you get away with it today. Now, come on. Spill."

Amelia stood up from the couch and turned her back to me. "I've been to so many different places in my life Sookie and I've met tons of people. I can honestly say that I have never met anyone as special as you are. You know that you are the best friend that I've ever had. You accept my little eccentricities. You don't even mind me borrowing your clothes. With you, I feel like I can be myself and not have to worry about being criticized for it. I love you."

"I know that."

"And I want us to remain friends."

"There's no reason for us not to be friends. We're like mint juleps and summertime."

With her shoulders drooped and her back to me, my best friend in the world continued to talk. "There are things that I've done that could possibly change our lives and our friendship. You probably won't forgive me. You'll think that I'm a liar and I can't be trusted but anything that I've done, it's not my fault. It had to be done."

"Why are you such a drama …?"

When she turned around to look at me, she was crying. I started to stand and go to her but she stopped me. She was scaring me. I was beginning to shake. My nerves were frazzled and my knees were about to buckle from underneath me.

"Please tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me." I tried laughing it off but it didn't work.

"I love you."

"Oh, God," I whispered. My knees buckled. Luckily, the couch caught me.

"There are things that we do in our lives that we do because we don't have a choice. We have to do them."

I was having a déjà vu moment. Didn't Bill and I have this exact same conversation a couple of nights ago?

"Tell me, Amelia."

"Everything that I've ever done, I've done because I love you. You're a good person. You're the best person that I know. You're one of my most favorite people in the world. You have to believe me. I don't know anyone that is a great as you are. You've got a big heart and you'd do anything for your family and friends; strangers even. You're so unselfish and caring. You are …"

My eyes began to sting and my heart began to beat faster with each word that she spoke. "Enough with the flattery. Say it," I whispered.

"When he approached me …"

I knew what she was going to say but I needed to ask. I had to hear her say it. "When who approached you?"

"Niall, your grandfather," she whispered.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you all enjoy.**


	69. Chapter 69

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 69**

**Firstly, I'd like to thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. If I've forgotten to send anyone a private message, I apologize for that. You are not far from my thoughts and you weren't purposely overlooked. I appreciate you all so very much. You keep my imagination going and my fingers typing.**

**Secondly, I really do hate that so many of the PMs that I've received have been negative and nasty. All that I can say to that is this …if you don't like it, don't read it. You don't have to mean and cruel with your words. Keep those nasty comments to yourself. I don't need them and I surely don't want them.**

**Thirdly, I am so excited to say that a very sweet and loyal reader nominated the story w/Fangreaders; thank you so much Nanou13. If you are all not mad at me or disappointed in the story, I would LOVE to have your vote.**

**I also want to say that any and all main characters that are used in this story belong to Charlaine Harris. The story is mine. This goes for the past, present, and future chapters.**

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><p>Niall; it always comes back to me, Niall and the gift that he gave to me. The gift that I wanted. He's had some type of contact with everyone in my former and present life and he's made them keep silent about what my life was like before I died. If Niall has had contact with the people in my life, they probably know what I am and where I was. I started to chuckle. What kind of gift was this to ask for anyway? It sure as hell isn't going as one would think a gift of happiness should. Don't get me wrong; I'm happy that I remember me and parts of the life that I had with Eric. I'm proud of the old me now when I should've been proud of me then. I'm happy to stand up for my vampire now when I should've done it then. I just don't understand why things are happening the way that they are.<p>

From the way that things are going, it was the worst possible thing that I could've asked for. No one was happy while I was away. Eric wasn't happy when I was gone. My brother couldn't be happy at all. To him, I've been dead for the last five years. If I had any friends, they had to have mourned for me. I hate that because of me, Eric and Jason were led to believe that I was as dead as a doornail. I shouldn't have asked for happiness. I should've asked for a trip to Alaska or some type of expensive crystal glassware. Oh ... I'll bet that the glassware would look outstanding on the dining room table in our new home during Thanksgiving dinner. Amelia's voice interrupted my wandering thoughts.

"Do you remember your second trip to New Orleans? Not the one that you thought was your first date with Eric but the one that decided your and Eric's fate?"

That was the night that we defeated de Castro and Freyda. Eric and I stood before the counsel and fought for each other. We were Romeo and Juliet incarnate; only we were a better version. We stood against our enemies and we won. We wouldn't let the lies, jealousy, and deceit destroy what we have.

"Some of it," I said. "Eric and I defeated de Castro and Freyda in vampire court. I remember that the counsel ruled in our favor. I remember our wedding but if anything happened after that, I don't know. My last memory is of me going to Fangtasia and meeting Eric. I have certain visions sometimes but that's all some of them are."

Amelia nodded as if she understood that answer. "You don't have any memories at all after the ruling? After the wedding?"

I shook my head no. "I just see things that I think happened but I'm not sure of _when_ they happened."

She closed her eyes and exhaled. "I wish that I could tell you something about what happened after your wedding but I wasn't there. That was the night that Niall gave you your gift. That was the night that your life changed for the better."

In a soft voice, I said, "Okay."

With a wave of her hand and a shake of her head, she said, "All of the other stuff that happened before you received your gift, Eric can explain that to you way better than I can." She was trying to make light of the situation but it wasn't the right time. I needed for her to tell me what was going on.

"Tell me what you know."

After coming to some type of resolve, Amelia walked to the office door to talk to her receptionist. "Please hold all of my calls, Celia." She closed the door and returned to talk to me. She leaned her bottom against her desk and inhaled deeply. "When you were given your gift, Niall came to me early that morning. He gave me this long story of the type of being that he is and what he's like. Sookie, your grandfather is intimidating and scary but he makes you feel so at ease. He terrified the hell out of me but at the same time, he made me feel as if he was the most loving being in the world. He has the most soothing touch."

I know that touch. Whenever Niall was around, he made anyone feel as if they were the most important person in the world; especially if he wants something from you. During that time, he's all rainbows and sunshine but don't cross him. He'll kill worst enemy or his closest friend without batting an eye. If you're family, you're pretty much safe... _if_ he likes you. If he loves you, the sun rises and sets on you. You feel so much love. That's what I've always felt when I've been with him.

"He told me about the gift of happiness that you wanted. He said that you wanted the gift for you and all of your vampires. You wanted them all to be happy. You wanted them to have a life free of enemies and chaos. He said that he asked you if you were sure if that's what you wanted and you said yes. From the way that he was talking, he didn't sound like he explained the ramifications of your gift to you. You know how faeries are when it comes to telling you things? They talk and talk but they don't say much of anything."

Hmmm; so, I'm a faery? Niall is a faery. Does that mean that Gran was a faery too? If so, does that make me and Jason faeries? I come from a line of faeries. That explains why Niall's mind was different. That's why I can do the things that I can do. A faery; that's kinda cool. On the sly, I took a quick look over each of my shoulders. I kind of expected to see a pair of wings sprout out of my back…pink ones would be cute. Pink wings with a splash of lavender with glittery tips. That would be so adorable. Glitter would fall all around me when they'd flap back and forth. Amelia's voice interrupted my daydream.

"Sookie?"

"Hmmm, yeah, I'm listening. Go on," I urged her. I didn't let on that I heard her say that Niall is a faery.

"Well, anyway, Niall's always talking in circles but he said that when you asked him for happiness, he tried to talk you out of it. He said that he tried to hint around that you didn't realize what you were asking for. He asked what would make you want to ask for such a gift. You told him that you wanted a life where you would be able to make all of your own decisions. You wanted a life free of ridicule and shame. You wanted to start over because you were never given a chance to make the most important decisions for yourself. You wanted to be given a chance to be proud of who you are and what you could do. You wanted to be given the chances that were taken from you.

"He said that he told you that there were sacrifices that would have to be made. You didn't care. He said that you wanted it anyway. You wanted what you wanted. That's one thing that didn't change about you. You're head strong and determined."

At the time, I must've thought that it was the perfect gift. Isn't that what everyone wants? Isn't that what we all deserve? A chance at a good life? A chance to be happy?

"And in order for me to get the happiness, I had to die. My vampires were free of the enemies and the chaos because I no longer existed. _We_ were the sacrifices."

"You and everyone that you love were the sacrifices," she repeated.

"But I didn't die."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nope."

"What else do you know?"

"Nothing really. I was only told that when the time came, I would be needed and I would have to be ready. I promised him that I would be."

"Do you know where I was during the time that I was '_dead_'?"

"I can honestly say that I have no idea. He didn't share that bit of information with me. When I asked him where you would be, he said that if he told me, he'd have to kill me. He said that he didn't want to kill me because he needed me so it was in _his_ best interest for _me_ not to know where you would be. Isn't that rich? In _his_ best interest," she mumbled.

That sounded like my grandfather. I almost smiled.

"What could he have possibly said to you to make you want to do it; especially after saying he'd kill you?"

"That's a no brainer, Sookie. He offered me a chance to help you; to give you what you've always wanted. When he came to my home, he asked me personal questions about you; your dreams, your desires. He wanted to know what it is about this world would make you want to come back to it. He needed to understand your fascination with this realm. He said that you had been so mistreated and used by useless humans and supes. They should have treasured you when they had you, he said. There could be no convincing reason for you to come back to this world. Not even the vampire was worth you returning to a world that doesn't deserve you." Quickly, she added, "Those are his words. When your grandfather asked me those questions, he knew that Eric loves you but it was almost as if he wanted a reason for you not to be here."

Coming over to sit with me on the couch, she said, "I told him that you believed that even though there is so much bad in this world, you could always find some good in it. And Sookie, you may not believe me but as soon as I said those words, Eric came to my mind. I told him that the love that you and Eric shared was the good for you. You do believe me, don't you?"

"Why wouldn't I believe you? You like him. You said that he was the best thing to have happened to me. You told me that he was a keeper. On our first date, you …"

She shook her head no.

"You don't like him?"

"I didn't."

I then thought about how Eric reacted to her when we met up at the club. He couldn't stand the sight of her. When she touched him, he looked as if he wanted to rip the skin from his body that she'd put her hands on. He hated her she just as much as she hated him. What in the world happened between those two?

"He didn't like you either?"

"Nope."

"Why didn't you like him? Has he ever mistreated me? Did he use me?" My heart was thundering away in my chest when I asked her the next question. "Did he not truly love me?" I wouldn't be able bear it if she told me that I was nothing more than a telepath to Eric. It would kill me.

"Sookie, he loves you. He's always loved you. I always thought that he was using you for your gift and was doing everything in his power to keep you bonded to him. That's what they did. They took control of humans. He's a vampire and I didn't trust him. They have always only looked out for what was best for them. As far as I was concerned, they didn't know what love was. To me, he was no different. I thought that the bond was making you love him because once they had their blood in a human, they could make that human feel what they wanted them to feel but I was wrong, Sookie. Eric has always been there for you. He would drop anything and everything that he was doing to come to you. He's killed his own kind for you. There was this one time, you told me about a vampire called Charles Twining. He was sent to kill you because of the vampire that Eric killed for you. Eric had already paid restitution to the vampire's maker but he wanted you dead."

Long Shadow.

"When Eric found out who'd sent Charles, he called you at Merlotte's to try and get you to answer the phone so that he could warn you about Charles but every time he called, Charles would answer the phone. When he couldn't reach you, he dropped everything that he was doing to come to save you. When he got to Merlotte's, the men in the bar had already wrestled Twining to the floor and had staked his ass. Eric has always been there for you. You never had to call him or anything. He was just …there," she said with a shrug.

"So I did work at Merlotte's?"

Amelia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "She wasn't supposed to happen."

"Just tell me the truth. Arlene was right. I was a barmaid."

"Yes," she whispered.

"Is that where I met Eric?"

"No. You met him at Fangtasia."

Well, at least that stayed true to form.

"You said that you didn't trust vampires. You believed that Eric was making me love him. Did I ever say that he was making me love him?"

Slowly, she nodded. "You did. That's why you asked me to help you break the bond."

I had nothing left to do but to fold into myself. "I love him, Amelia."

"You didn't want to believe that at first. The thought of loving and needing someone so much scared you. It was easier for you to believe that he was making you love him."

I remember that feeling of complete and total love for him. I felt that my day wasn't complete until I saw Eric. I had to touch him. I had to hear his voice. My every thought was of Eric. It was as if I couldn't feel anything unless he was with me. And then I remembered how it felt when the bond was broken.

Eric called me frantic and scared. He'd thought that something had happened to me when the bond was broken. I remember that it felt as if my soul had been ripped from my body. It felt as if my heart would no longer beat. It felt like a part of me died that night. I never expected to feel such pain. It was pure anguish. I can't even imagine what it felt like for him.

"He called me that night. He thought that something had happened to me. I could hear the fear in his voice." I winced at the memory.

"We broke the bond and it was a mistake." Her eyes were wide and she nodded her head rapidly. "And he was pissed off. I had to hurry and leave your house that night. He was coming over and he sure as shit didn't want to see me. He probably would've drained me right on the spot."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he was going to kill you."

Amelia must not have known that if she had actually been there when Eric had arrived, he would have killed her on the spot. Her eyes widened even more and I heard her heart pause. "He didn't like me at first but he really hated me after that. I didn't think that he hated me enough to kill me."

We could've gone on forever about how Eric wanted to torture her but we had more important things to discuss. "This doesn't make sense to me Amelia. The only reason couldn't have been that I didn't want to need him. Had something happened with me and Eric to make me think that he didn't really love me? Did I just so happen to all of a sudden distrust vampires for no reason at all?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times and each time nothing came out; not a sigh or a squeak.

"What?"

Her mouth was opened and she was shaking her head no.

Since it appeared that she didn't want to answer me, I did the next best thing. I went into her mind and I saw Bill Compton.

"What does Bill Compton have to do with this?"

She shook herself out of her speechless state. "You said that you would never go into my mind! You lied!" she exclaimed accusingly.

"Do we really want to compare lies with each other, Amelia? Do you really want to go there?"

Her shoulders drooped and she said, "Okay."

"Now tell me. What does Bill Compton have to do with this?"

"He's a vampire."

"I know that. I've met him."

"When did you meet him? What did he say?"

"He didn't say much of anything. He sat with me on the porch at Gran's and we stared out into the night. We talked a little bit. He talked about being alone and losing his one true love." I leaned against the arm of the couch and relaxed a little. "I almost trusted him but there was something in him that didn't sit well with me. He seemed to be hiding something. It became evident that he was hiding something when Eric arrived. The first night that I met him, he tried to get Eric to hide something from me."

Amelia sniggered. "That's Bill. He's always hiding something. Well, he _used_ to hide things. I guess over time, he's changed a little. He's not the same vampire that he was when I first met him. He's still standoffish and has sneaky ways. I guess that can be expected. He was a procurer for the queen of Louisiana."

"La tee da," I retorted. "A procurer for the queen."

"Yeah; she looked like she was no more than sixteen years old but I'd never met any vampire like her." She shuddered as she thought of this faceless and scary being.

"Sophie Ann," I said absently. It was as if a light bulb had gone off over my head. "Sophie Ann was the queen of Louisiana."

"Yeah," Amelia said slowly. "You remember Sophie Ann?"

I shook my head no. "Not really. Just that she was the queen and that my cousin Hadley was her lover."

"That's right," Amelia said.

"How did you know the queen?" I asked.

"My coven, the most powerful coven in the great state of Louisiana," she added proudly, "used to cast spells for her and that's when I first saw him; Bill. He didn't think much of me when he first met me because back then, he didn't think much of humans. He thought that we were beneath him. You couldn't pay him to talk to a human. It almost sickened him to do so. He was an undead snob unless he wanted to feed and fuck. I could tell you some stories about Bill Compton."

"You can tell me the stories later. We need to talk about this first. Is Bill the reason that I was leery of believing that Eric could love me?"

"I can't really say. There's more to it than that. It's complicated."

"It's not."

"I can't tell …" She must have seen something in my eyes when she started that sentence so went in a different direction. "I'm just supposed to be here to keep you safe. I'm not supposed to …"

"Be my friend?" I asked. "Is that it? Is that what you were going to say?"

She almost looked offended. "I am your friend. I've always been your friend."

"If that's true, then tell me about Bill."

Amelia's body fell against the back of the couch. "Like I said, he was a procurer for Sophie Ann. What that means is that he was _the_ vampire that she turned to when she wanted something. You know how all vampires have their own special gifts?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Well, his was that he could make humans feel safe around him. Just like your grandfather. He would go out and hunt what she wanted. It was his job to make sure that she _got_ what she wanted; regardless of who it hurt. She wanted to be the only one that had access to that special something or someone. She loved to have the upper hand. After all, she was the queen."

My children; that's how Bill found about my children. He's used his procuring skills.

"She had spies everywhere; especially human spies. The humans would do anything to be the favorite pet of a vampire. If that vampire was a royal, then they'd betray their families for said vampire. It didn't matter to them at all. They loved the thought of having a vampire want them. To have something so powerful want you, that has to do something to your self-esteem."

It did nothing for mine; the power, I mean. The fact that Eric loves me is more than enough to make my self-esteem go through the roof. He's smart, handsome, and funny. He could be the janitor at Fangtasia and I'd still want him.

"Anyway, Bill was supposedly the best at what he did. Because of how he went about staking his claim to these special people, he wasn't to be trusted; only no one knew it at the time. People let Bill into their lives because they believed in him. He made them feel as if they were the most important person in the world. Some women thought that he was the one. It was all a lie in beginning."

The way that she looked at me when she said those words, broke my heart. Amelia must've been the woman that Bill was talking about. She was the one that he was in love with but he had to let her go. The queen must have wanted to claim Amelia as her own because she knows how powerful Amelia's witchcraft is. Bill tricked Amelia. He made her believe that he was in love with her and betrayed her for the queen. That must have been just awful for her. To know that the man that she was in love with was playing a game with her emotions.

"How were Bill's lies exposed?"

"Eric. Eric didn't trust him so he did a little snooping. He found out the truth."

That has to be why Eric wanted to get me away from Bill on the night that we'd first met. He may have thought that Bill was going to take me just like he had taken Amelia. Amelia lived in Eric's area at the time. Bill took Amelia without telling him. Eric had to have found out why Bill was in his area but he'd found out too late.

That bothers me. _Bill_ bothers me. If he was a procurer for a queen, Bill could be using those skills to his advantage. Eric and I will definitely have to talk about this bit of information. This is too important for him not to know.

"How could hate him? Eric, I mean. He found out about Bill's hidden agenda and you still hated him?"

Amelia looked confused at my question. "I don't know what you ..."

"Forget it," I said as I waved my hand back and forth. "Were you and I friends when Eric found this out about Bill?"

"No," she said as she shook her head. "We'd only just met when the truth came out about Bill." She reached over and touched my hand. This time, I stayed out of her head. Her pain was too personal.

"Thank you for telling me this. I know how painful it must have been for you to talk about him. I appreciate it."

She looked even more confused than before. In a small and whispery voice, she said, "There's nothing to thank me for."

I patted her leg and said, "Now, you can finish telling me about Niall."

She stared at me for a long minute; still looking confused. She wanted to say something else but stopped herself.

"I can handle it. I'm a big girl." I took her hand into mine and looked her in her eyes. "What happened next with Niall? What did you say to his questions about Eric?"

"Niall asked me how I could be so sure that you were in love with Eric. I told him that your happiness was wrapped up in Eric. He's your past, your present and your future; everything that you've ever is in Eric. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to see it."

"I can understand why," I said to her. After what happened with Bill Compton, I can see why she didn't warm up to Eric. Eric's a vampire and she probably believed that he would do to me what Bill had done to her. I can't blame her for that. She was only looking out for me.

"Everything I've done is because I love you. I just want you to be happy."

"Is that why you don't want me to go back to Bon Temps? Was I unhappy in Bon Temps?"

"You were."

"But Jason's there. I have to go back there. I want him to know that I'm alive. I need to apologize to him for making him believe that I was dead. For being out of his life for so long. After so long apart, I can't wait to see my brother."

She swallowed hard and looked down at her hands. "I just think that you need to wait awhile before going there. There is so much more that you need to know before you go." She tried to smile; though it was a task. "I can't tell you all that you need to know in one day."

"Why?"

"It's just too much for one person to handle in one day. Look, just relax and …"

"I don't want to relax. I want is for you to tell me the truth."

She covered her face with her hands before speaking to me again. The colors that surrounded her were sad. She didn't want to tell me. No; she was afraid to tell me.

"Is it Jason?" I whispered. "Has something happened to my brother?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem, Amelia? What do I need to know before I go back to Bon Temps?"

Because of what she said next, I understood her fear. She had every reason in the world to be afraid.

"He knows that you're alive."

And everything was going so well.


	70. Chapter 70

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 70**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. **

**These characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the story idea is mine. This goes for all of the past, present and future chapters.**

* * *

><p>I know that I didn't hear what I thought I heard. I had to have been hearing things. She didn't say that my brother knows that I'm alive. My head began to spin and I could feel anger, hurt, and betrayal building inside of me. I'll ask her once more just to be sure.<p>

"What did you just say to me?"

"He knows that you're alive."

I heard her correctly. She said it. She said that my brother knows that I'm alive.

I could feel hot air swirling around me. I could feel the magic building inside of me and it wasn't a good thing. I did my best to try and stay calm. The thoughts of Desmond's teachings came to mind. '_Every day isn't hunting season and everyone isn't meant to be hunted_'.' I didn't want to hunt Amelia. That was the last thing in the world that I wanted to do but when I looked at her, she was no longer Amelia. She was someone that was out to hurt me; betray me. At that precise second, she was no longer a friend. She was an enemy.

"Please calm down," she begged.

I angrily looked at her. She saw something that scared her because pretty soon, she was mumbling and chanting. Soon the air in the room changed. A soothing calm filled the room. I could've destroyed it but the only thing that kept me from doing it is because I kept repeating to myself that it was Amelia and that I love her. I had to keep telling myself that she is not the enemy. She is my friend.

Following a few moments of silence, she decided to speak. "Are you okay now?"

I couldn't answer her the way that she wanted me to. I've never lied to Amelia and I wasn't going to start now. "I'm not. You said that my brother knows that I'm alive. How long has he known?"

"He's always known." She reached for my hand and I jerked it away from her. "I'm sorry, Sookie."

"Sorry?" I asked. "Did you really just say that?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I never meant to hurt you, Sookie. I swear it."

I stared angrily at her as I scooted to the other end of the couch, I asked, "How is it possible that my brother knows that I'm alive? Didn't he go to my funeral? Wasn't he told that I was dead?"

"He had to have been told and he had to be there. If Jason hadn't have been at your funeral, the plan never would have worked. You wouldn't have gotten your gift and Eric would have known that something was wrong."

Images of me squeezing Amelia's throat until her eyes bugged out calmed me down a little. I wouldn't actually do it but just to imagine it; it made me feel a little bit better.

"He and those closest to you were there," Amelia continued. "They were all led to believe that you were dead but only for that night. There had to be a funeral for the vampires; for Eric, Pam, and your other vampire friends. The ones that knew what you could do; they all had to believe that you were dead. Some of them would have stopped at nothing to make you theirs.

"You never would have been able to have the gift of happiness if they didn't believe that you were dead. Niall asked me, Octavia and a few others that are in our coven to place a _loss of time_ spell on the people of Bon Temps; the humans. As soon as the funeral was over and they went back to their everyday lives; it was as if it never happened. I didn't think that that the spell would work but with the help of Octavia's wizard boyfriend, it was perfect. I can't believe that we were able to spell an entire town. Can you believe that we were able to do that?" She almost smiled until she saw the look on my face. She cleared her throat before speaking again.

"As far as they know," she continued, "you haven't been back to Bon Temps because you're with Eric. You didn't want to have to deal with the stares and the ridicule anymore. You were tired of them making your life miserable. You were tired of being called Crazy Sookie. You were tired of being called names because of who you loved. They all believe that you've decided to spend all of your time with Eric living in the vampire world. That's why you quit Merlotte's and moved on. Sookie, please …" She reached for me once more. Yet again, I jerked away from her. She flinched and folded her hands in her lap.

"Didn't the people of Bon Temps think it was odd that Eric would still be around and I wasn't with him?"

Amelia shook her. "Why would they? He didn't deal with them when you were alive. There was no way in hell that he was going to deal with them when you were dead. He hated them. They were human and they were offensive to you. Those people in Bon Temps were haters of anything supernatural; most of them were anyway. If he ever went back to see any of those people, I knew nothing about it. I just know that he would go to your house and wait for you. He and your vampires never went to Merlotte's."

"And Jason; he believes that I've forgotten all about him… that I would turn my back on him?" I asked.

"No. He knows that you would never do that. He knows what life was like for you in Bon Temps. As far as he's concerned, you're happier than you've ever been and he's happy for you. He wasn't the best brother in the world to you and he wanted you to be happy."

That broke my heart; to know that my brother hasn't missed me at all. "Why hasn't he tried to contact me? He doesn't want to see me? Did something happen between me and Jason to keep him from calling me or at least going to the club to see if I was there?"

"No," she said silently.

"So, what's going on with him? It's been five years since we've spoken to each other and he doesn't want to see me?"

"Sookie, things have happened …"

"Oh, God," I said.

"Sookie, please," she begged. "You have to understand."

I didn't want to hear any more of that '_you have to understand_' shit. "Tell me now, Amelia. I don't want to hear anything other than what I need to know." Angrily I added, "Using the words of my great-grandfather, I think that it will be in both of our best interests if you do as I say."

Amelia flinched at my words. "It hasn't been five years since you've last talked to Jason. You two have been writing to each other every week."

I was stunned beyond words.

"You've been sending him postcards and pictures from your many travels. You've always kept in contact with him." Amelia went to her desk and opened the bottom drawer. She pulled out three stacks of letters with a red ribbon wrapped around them. She handed them to me.

Each letter was written in Jason's childlike handwriting. There were pictures of Jason and his wife. Her name is Michele. There were pictures of their wedding day. They were married in the open field behind Jason's house, out by the lake. At least that's what Amelia told me. There were pictures of two tow haired children; girls…Adele and Sookie Stackhouse. I've missed five years of their lives. The tears fell.

Pointing at the children, she said, "They're twins."

Holding on tightly to the letters as if they were my life line, I looked up and into Amelia's eyes. "You were pretending to be me?"

She nodded. "I had to do it. Niall wanted to keep the contact between you and Jason open for when you returned. He said that there was no way of knowing when you would be you again. He may not like Jason, but he couldn't let Jason believe that you were dead."

Looking up at the ceiling, I said, "You've always known who I really am." It was more of a statement to me instead of to her. "You've always known," I finally said to her.

"Yes."

"Every memory that I have of us is a lie."

She came back over to the couch and grabbed my hands. She held them tightly so that I couldn't jerk away from her this time. "No. We have always been friends. Well, except for a little while we had a falling out."

"Are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to keep that a secret too?"

She looked deep into my eyes. "That's not fair, Sookie."

"Whatever."

"If I tell you, are you going to be any madder at me?"

"How is that even possible?"

She fidgeted a little before she started talking. "When we broke the bond, I did something that you became really upset about. At the time I didn't think that it was that big of a deal. I thought that I was being a good friend. I thought that I was doing you a favor."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing? "What did you do?"

"As I said earlier, when we'd broken the bond, I had to get out of your house as soon as possible. You and Eric made up and you spent the night with him. I went to this Were bar and I may have told someone that we had broken the bond with Eric. I told him because I thought that he would be nice change of pace. He's alive and sexy. He has a little bit of power and I knew that he wanted to be with you. At the time, I thought that he would be great for you. I may have invited him over to your house so that he could help you get over Eric."

"You did what?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She invited another man to my house because I'd broken the bond with Eric? Did she actually believe that I would readily sleep with someone else because Eric and I didn't have a bond anymore? Did she believe that the breaking the bond would make me fall out of love with him?

"I'm not a slut, Amelia. What would make you think that I'd allow a stranger in my bed? How could you do that?"

"I know that and I'm sorry."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I thought that I was doing you a favor."

"Why would you think that?"

"I wanted you to be happy."

"Like you say that you do now," I retorted. "What happened with this man that you invited into my home?"

"Nothing; I swear. When you came home that morning, he was in your bed naked and waiting on you. You got mad at me for letting him in and threw us out of your house. I tried apologizing to you. I sent you email after email trying to get you to forgive me but you didn't. After some time, you did forgive me but I had a feeling that you didn't quite trust me anymore."

"I can't believe you would do that."

"I thought that if the bond was broken, you'd move on and forget about Eric."

"I can't believe you."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Tell me something else. My first night at Fangtasia; how did that happen?"

"I called Niall that evening and told him about Belinda inviting you to Merlotte's with her. That wasn't supposed to happen. Your grandfather had a few of your kin close off the road to Bon Temps. It wasn't meant for you to go back there before meeting Eric. You didn't have happiness back in Bon Temps. If you had gone back before meeting Eric, you would have been completely erased from his memory. You would've remembered him but you wouldn't have been anything to him. You would have no longer been his wife. You wouldn't have been his lover. You would have been nothing to him. You needed to see Eric first. He was your reason for coming back. Niall did what he had to do to make sure that you got what you wanted; Eric."

"What about the night that we went to the Sit 'n Spin? You kept telling me how Eric had to walk this world without his true love. You told me that I was his lost love and in all that time, you know the truth. You knew. You were trying to get us together."

"Yeah," she replied. "If you found him, it was meant to be."

She said that exact words that night at the Sit 'n Spin.

"You found him."

"You told me that I was surrounded by powerful magic and that I was being protected. You even volunteered to find out who put the magic on me. The entire time that you were offering your services to me, you knew. _You knew_."

"Things were happening so fast. You were feeling feelings that you shouldn't have been feeling. You were putting things together that should have taken you a little longer to figure out. When Mr. C came to your office that day …."

"Desmond was in on this as well?"

"Yes."

"Is he really in Paris?"

"Yes. He has retired."

"Did he want to be a part of it?"

"Yes," she said. "He wants to see you happy just as the rest of us do. He warned me that you were stronger and more powerful than they expected."

"Who is 'they'?"

"I don't know."

"Was he talking about himself and Niall?"

"I don't know."

My world was caving in all around me.

"I thought that if I told you that I would check it out, it would slow things down for you but it didn't. Niall said that it would take longer but he was wrong. You could feel Eric and he could feel you."

She wasn't supposed to know that. "How do you know that I could feel him? I never told you that."

"You didn't have to. That night at the Sit 'n Spin, while I was dancing, I was watching you. When he began walking towards you, you closed your eyes and smiled. When you turned around to look at him, I could see it on your face."

"Why?"

She hesitated before speaking. "The bond that you and Eric reformed before you died was never broken. The distance between you two, blunted it. Niall said that when you were away, there would be times when you could feel Eric. He asked me to watch Eric to see if he could feel you."

"And?"

She beamed when she said yes. "I watched him one night while he was sitting on the front porch of your house. He could feel you. I don't know how you did it, but he could feel you and he could see you. You would appear to him and sit with him on the porch. Sookie, you moved _through_ him."

"Do you know why that happened?"

"No," she said.

"Did you ever ask Niall?"

"He left before I could."

"Where did he go?"

She looked away from me. "I don't know."

"Last night as I was driving to Bon Temps, I wondered if you were a part of this game but I pushed the thought right out of my head. I didn't think that you would hide it from me if you were. I was wrong."

"You were wrong," she confirmed.

"Arlene Fowler; how did she remember me? She said that she was from Bon Temps. Why didn't your spell work on her?"

"She wasn't in Bon Temps. She was in Bossier. She had been arrested for plotting to kill you. I don't know how she came to get out of jail but since she wasn't in Bon Temps when the spell was cast, she wasn't affected by it."

That explains Agent Lattesta. That's why he knew about me and that's how he knew about Hunter. They knew about me because they weren't in the right place at the right time. I began to wonder about other people that didn't go to my 'funeral' or weren't in Bon Temps when the spell was cast. Other supes. Vampires.

"What about other vampires that knew of me before? Will they know me?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "They wouldn't have known of you if they didn't play a major part in your life."

I closed my eyes and I rested my head on the back of the couch. "After what I did yesterday …"

"You put yourself back on their radar. You needed to stay in the shadows for just a little while longer but ..." She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

I stared at Amelia for a long second and said, "You pretended not to know me when we started LSU together." I suddenly filled her office with laughter. "I'm a fucking fraud. Mr. Haynes was right. I shouldn't be working with those children. My entire life is a lie! You pretended not to know that Eric suffered because of me. You then pretended to be me. You even pretended to be my friend."

When I said that, Amelia began to bawl. "How dare you say something like that to me?! How dare you! You take that back right now! I've never pretended to be your friend! Everything that I've done, I've done because I love you and I want you to be happy."

Jumping up from the couch, I looked down at her and asked, "Do I look happy? Is this how a happy person is supposed to look? Do normally happy people cry when they find out that their so called best friend is a liar? This is your fault!"

She jumped up from the couch this time and glared at me. The crying stopped and the tears dried up. "Don't you dare try and pin this shit on me, Sookie Stackhouse! Don't you do it! I wouldn't have had to do any of this if it weren't for you. You were the one that wanted to be happy; regardless of the consequences! If it's anyone's fault, it's yours! You want to put the blame on everyone else but where it belongs …with you! You're not going to put any of the blame on me!" She walked away and went to stare out of the office window.

"The hell I'm not going to put some of the blame on you. For years ...excuse me ...how long have we really known each other? Days? Weeks? Months? Ah, let me guess. You can't tell me. It doesn't really matter but I will say this. You have some nerve, _my friend_. I come into your office and you rip into me like a mother pitbull protecting her young and you've been lying the entire time. How in the hell was I supposed to know that I was putting myself in danger?"

She didn't know what to say.

"Did you warn me? Did you tell me that other vampires or other supes may want to come after me? No. Let me tell you what you did. You sat back and watched."

"I had no choice."

"You had a choice. Let me tell you something. I am not going to sit back and let others decide what's going to happen in my life. And you know what? I'm not sorry for what I did yesterday. I was protecting what's mine. That's what you were doing, right? Protecting me ...by keeping me in the dark? Telling me to lay low?"

"T-t-t-that's different," she stuttered.

"No it's not. It's different because it's you. You may not realize this but I'm not yours to protect. I don't need your protection. What I need from you; what I've always needed from you was your honesty. I was the one that was shafted. Not you. I didn't pretend to not know that your life was different than it really was. If you had really wanted to help me, Amelia, you could have but you chose to keep your mouth shut. You and Mustapha spout this bullshit about me being in danger. If I was in any type of danger, y'all put me there."

"How can you stand there and say that?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Did either of you warn me about my past? No. Did either of you tell me that other supes used to be after me? No. You may not have known what I was going to do but you let me run out there like Annie Oakley with guns blazing and you told me nothing. You didn't prepare me. Whose fault would it have been if something had happened to me? Mine? Yours? Mustapha's? Even Eric's. Not one of you gave me a hint about my past life. You all told me that I put myself in danger by going out alone. Well, I can't take all of the credit, now can I?"

Big tears fell from her eyes. "That's not fair."

"Well, I guess we both learned something new today. Life isn't fair."

"Are you going to say these things to Eric? He hasn't told you everything."

I shook my head. "Eric knows how I feel about standing up for what I believe but you seem to not realize that there's a difference between you and Eric. He was dragged into this unwillingly by me and my grandfather. You went into it with your eyes wide open. So, you can't compare your actions to Eric's. He didn't know."

Amelia was hurt and angry. I could see it in her eyes. "You are some piece of work, Sookie Stackhouse. You asked for this and now you want to blame me? You weren't the only one that was shafted; as you so eloquently put it. You aren't the only victim. You stand there all holy and sanctified...as if butter wouldn't melt in your sweet little mouth. You're full of shit. This was all your doing. You were the one that wanted unadulterated happiness; regardless of the sacrifices. Yes, I did go into with my eyes wide open. There was nothing in this for me." She stared me right in the eyes and said, "It was all for you. Think about it, Sookie. This is what you wanted. This is what you got." She bottom lip was trembling. She gave me a harsh stare before turning to look out the window.

My eyes were as wide as my mouth. I had a mouthful for her but it wouldn't come out because she was right. If I hadn't asked for the bad stuff to go away, none of this would have happened. If I had only been happy with the old me, none of this would have happened.

"Amelia?"

She spun around and continued her rant. "And another thing, Sookie, we all had to make sacrifices just so that you can be happy and your prideful ass can't make one. My only agenda is for you to be with Eric and to live your life without being kidnapped or almost killed! I can't believe that you are trying to put all of this on me. I think that you should leave my office right now." She turned away from me and looked out the window once more.

"Amelia," I said. "Look at me."

"No. I don't want to talk to you right now and don't you dare get into my head."

No matter how dresses it up, she lied to me. She kept me in the dark.

She glanced quickly over her shoulder and asked, "Why are you still here?" She continued to look out of the window.

"I want to talk to you. Please, look at me, Amelia."

"So that you can use your little mind tricks on me? No thanks."

"I've never done that to you and you know it. I've always been a good friend to you."

She thought about what I'd said and she decided to look at me over her shoulder but wouldn't face me. "What?" I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was crying.

"You could've told me."

"I couldn't. Niall said that would you have to remember on your own. Do you know what he would have done to me if I'd betrayed him and gone against his wishes? He's a very powerful man. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to keep this secret from you?" Her voice was trembling. She turned away from me and continued to look out of the window.

I walked over to her and stood behind her. "I know that you are my friend and I know that you love me."

"I do, Sookie."

"I apologize for losing my temper and for saying some of the things that I said. I didn't mean to hurt you."

She then shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. "It's okay. I'd probably react as you did. It has to be a lot to handle."

"I wanted this."

"I would never do anything to hurt you. Well, except for that one time with the naked man in your bed but that was just a stupid mistake."

"I know and it may take me a couple of days to get over the shock of it all. I'm just mad at you right now."

"I would've told you if I could've."

"I know."

"I love you, Sookie. And you're right about being blind to your past. How were you supposed to know what could be out there waiting on you? I'm so sorry." Amelia was sincere. I could see it. I wanted to hate her for hiding these things from me but I can't. She doesn't deserve that.

"If giving you a lifetime of happiness means that I will lose your friendship because of what I've done, it'll be well worth it."

"I love you, Amelia."

"You earned the right to work with those children. Fuck what Mr. Haynes thinks and the fact that you used to be a barmaid. You've been where they are. You deserve the job that you have. Everything that you have, you've earned! You didn't have to go to LSU to be able to teach those children about their gifts. Niall said that this job was your calling no matter what anyone else believes."

"You're right."

We both giggled.

"If he asked me to do it again, I would."

"You're a great friend Amelia."

"Don't you ever forget it," she said. "And I love you too, Sookie."

When I pulled the office door open, I looked over my shoulder and I could see that she meant it. I didn't have to get inside of her head either. "Now, if you love me so much, you need to get dressed up. I'm taking you to Fangtasia tonight; if you still want to go. I want you to meet my husband. If you don't want to go to Fangtasia, we can go to The Courtyard."

"Really?!" She took a couple of steps away from the window and said, "You really want me to meet him …well, again?"

"I do. I want you to get to know Eric the way that I know him and vice versa."

"You're not mad at me?"

Nodding my head at her, I said yes. "I am but so what? You're my friend. Everything that you did, you did for me. It was my wish, right? How can I blame you or anyone else for giving me what I wanted? So, which is it going to be … Fangtasia's or The Courtyard?"

"Well, ain't you so sweet you make sugar taste like salt?"

I laughed. "So what do you want to do, smart ass?"

"Fangtasia and I promise, Sookie, I'll be ready."

"I'll pick you up a little after sunset if I return in time. If not, I'll call you and meet you there."

"Great," she said. She started walking in my direction but stopped. Looking as confused as I've ever seen her, she asked, "What about Bon Temps? Are you still going?"

"Yeah. What other choice do I have?"

"I hope that you find what you're looking for."

I cocked my head to the side and opened my arms. "Come on over here and get inside these arms."

Amelia ran to me and we wrapped ourselves around each other. Celia was watching us and she has the strangest look on her face. Maybe it was the tear stains on our cheeks or our swollen eyes that had her confused. Maybe she heard the yelling that we were doing and now we are standing at the door smiling and hugging each other. Who knows and who cares? I am as determined as ever to put the pieces of my life back together. Since all of this is my doing, it's up to me to fix it.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope that you enjoyed. Have a great weekend.**


	71. Chapter 71

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 71**

**I want to apologize to y'all for neglecting this story for the other story so I've spent the last couple of days reworking and editing the story to get it posted. I will also have the next couple of chapters of 'A Marriage of Inconvenience?' posted; not at the same time but a couple of days apart. **

**Thank y'all for reading and reviewing.**

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><p>Mustapha went inside to check things out while I stayed in the car. It was a task getting him to agree to let me stay in the car without him. He thought that it would be best if we went in together but he finally agreed after I had to promise to leave my shields down and to keep the car doors locked. He never once considered the fact that my abilities would keep me safer than a car door that was locked would but whatever. I didn't argue with him. I did as a good little woman should and stayed in the car.<p>

I stared out at the bar. It wasn't much to look at. The big green and red neon sign screamed the words '_Merlotte's Bar and Grill_'. The bar looked like a well worn log cabin. The wooded area was the perfect setting. The parking lot was filled with a ton of pickup trucks and a few cars. I could tell that it was the neighborhood bar. The men were leaned against the trucks and holding their beers. They were laughing and talking. They were enjoying the atmosphere and the cool Louisiana night. Most of all, they were comfortable in their surroundings. The music that blared from the bar was just like the men that were standing outside; easy and country. It was peaceful …that is until my cell phone scared the daylights out of me.

"Come on in. There's no danger. When you come in, look to your left. I'm sitting in the back booth. You'll see me. My back isn't facing the door. I will be facing you. You will not sit with your back facing the door either." It wasn't a suggestion either. It sounded like an order.

"On my way," I replied as I got out of the car. Before hanging up the phone, I said, "Thank you, Mustapha."

"For what?" he asked.

"For being my friend."

He chuckled. "Whatever. Get your ass in here and meet your past."

When I closed my car door, I heard a far off howl and I knew that it was Warren. I knew that with my two favorite Weres with me that I would be safe.

I walked into the bar and I began to remember. If I didn't know any better, I would think that I had only left the bar a few hours ago. I looked around and everything was so familiar. The pool tables, the smell of the bar, and the fried pickles; I hit with so much nostalgia. I looked at a few of the patrons and I remembered their names. I saw a girl that my brother used to date and her name was DeeAnn. Next to her, I saw the man that grabbed my bottom. Rene Lenier grabbed him by his arm and twisted it up behind the man's back. He said that it was no big deal that he pawed my bottom. He said that I was nobody. He even called me a name. He called me Crazy Sookie. That's when I heard him scream out in pain. Rene had almost crushed every bone in the man's hand. I don't remember the man but I do remember the guy that was protecting my honor.

Rene Lenier. He was the one that decided that Gran didn't deserve to live.

At the far end of the bar sat the group of girls that asked me if I was quitting Merlotte's because I was going to marry the sexy, blond vampire that owned Fangtasia. There were quite a few familiar faces in the bar. I waited on most of them. I read the thoughts of all of them. Not that I wanted to. Before I learned how to control it, everyone's thoughts were mine. Mean thoughts. Hateful thoughts. Cruel thoughts.

I walked further into the bar and looked through the little window that had a view of the kitchen. A ghostly image suddenly appeared before me. His name was Lafayette Reynolds. I could see him back there flipping his burgers and stirring his chili He looked up at me and smiled. Before I could wave at him, he was gone. His body was found in the backseat of a car. He was murdered. He was gone. Instead of seeing Lafayette, Big John was standing in his place. I began to wish that I hadn't come back. I began to think that I should've listened to Amelia.

Careful not to sit with my back facing the door, I stood at the bar and waited for the bartender to take my order. When she turned around and saw me, she screamed. The scream startled me. I expected to see a few people that I knew but I sure didn't expect to have someone be that happy to see little old me.

"Sookie? Sookie Stackhouse? Is that really you? Oh my God!" she exclaimed as she ran around the bar. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me.

"Hey, Kennedy," I said as tears slowly began to fill my eyes. Good memories finally began to surface. She never thought one bad thing about me. She didn't care that I'm a telepath. She didn't care that I was in love with a man that just so happened to be a vampire. She didn't see me as a freak. She saw me only as Sookie Stackhouse. She saw me as a friend. I gladly returned her hug.

After the hug was broken, she stood back and looked at me. "My goodness! You are beautiful. I mean you've always been a beautiful woman but you are _beautiful_. Married life looks good on you. Wait!" she suddenly screamed. "I'll be right back. I have to go out back and get Holly. She will definitely want to see you. She's on her break. Don't leave. I'll be right back." She pointed to the back of the bar and ran as if someone was chasing her.

I then felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw another friendly and familiar face. I was once again hit with good memories. "Terry Bellefleur," I whispered. My hands went to my mouth. He looked amazing. He didn't look the same Terry that I'd left behind five years ago. He was a totally different man. His eyes weren't closed. I could finally see him. I could see the real Terry Bellefleur and he was handsome. I think that it was because he was happy.

"You look absolutely wonderful," I said.

"Thank you. Life has been good to me. It has been real good to me." I could see it as he basked in the sounds of those words.

"I can tell. I've never seen you look better. Please tell me; what have you been doing with yourself?"

"Obviously I'm still working here." He then smiled broadly and said, "I'm married now."

"Congratulations," I said as I kissed his cheek. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Jimmy. She's my VA rep and she's a dog breeder." He then stood tall and said, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"We're pregnant. I'm going to be a daddy."

"I'm so happy for you," I exclaimed. "You're getting everything that you deserve."

"It feels good to be happy."

Stealing Kennedy's line, I said, "Happiness looks good on you. Are you still breeding your dogs?"

"Yeah; Jimmy and I are doing it together. We are making a nice living from it. I'm thinking about leaving here once we have the baby. I want to be with my family. I don't want to miss a single day of my child's life. Being married is the best thing I've ever done."

"You're a good man, Terry. I've always believed that. And I know that you'll make a great daddy. Are you excited?"

"I am. I know that it's going to be tough but I can't wait. Enough about me. Let's talk about you. You look better than I've ever known you to look, Sookie. You haven't stopped smiling since you've walked in here."

I nodded. "I love being married. It's the best thing I've ever done. He makes me happy and he makes me proud of myself."

"I've always known that he loves you. I could see it in his eyes." He shook his head and said, "I don't know why no one else could see it." He then answered his own question. "They didn't want to." Terry then looked at his watch and said, "My break is over so I guess I'd better get back to work before Big John has a fit." He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "It's good to see you, Sookie. You won't stay gone for so long again will you?"

I shook my head. "I won't. I promise."

"Next time you come by, bring that husband of yours with you. I'd like to thank him."

"Thank him?" I asked. "What do you want to thank him for?"

"He helped me get into the VA rep program after you left. He sent me a letter and told me that he'd spoken to a few of his connections and he got me in. the waiting list was long but he worked it out for me. I went to the club a few times to thank him personally but he was never there. I figured that you guys were still traveling. If you don't mind, would you tell him for me? That I said thank you?"

"I will," I said. "It was good seeing you, Terry. "

"It's always good seeing you, Sookie."

I watched Terry as he walked away.

I couldn't believe that Eric did that for Terry. I can't believe that he didn't tell me that he'd done it. I looked over at Mustapha and just as I expected, he was staring at me. I waved at him and smiled. He looked at me and shook his head as he continued to pretend to read his newspaper. I wasn't supposed to acknowledge him but I couldn't help. I was happy and I wanted to share it with someone.

"Sookie!"

Holly ran over and wrapped her arms around me. Kennedy was standing behind her smiling. It felt good to be welcomed here. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

When we broke our hug, I couldn't believe how wonderful she looked. "You look amazing!"

She thanked me as she pulled me by my hand and led me to a table. Kennedy wasn't too far behind us. Once we were seated, with my chair facing Mustapha's, Holly began talking a mile a minute. "I'm so glad that you're back! I have tried calling that husband of yours but he never answers his phone at the club. When we would go to the club to see either of you, it was always closed. I would've written you a thank you letter but Hoyt lost your address. Being a man, he never thought to ask Jason for your address."

I didn't know what she was talking about but I didn't let on. "There was no need to write us a thank you letter. I hope that it was okay."

"Are you kidding me?" she asked as she looked at me as I was crazy. "Hoyt and I never expected to go to the Bahamas for our honeymoon; especially not for two weeks. It was the best two weeks we'd ever spent anywhere."

I couldn't believe that Eric came to Bon Temps to give them a wedding gift. I've known for him to be overly nice to anyone human. My hand instantly went to my chest. I remembered that we were supposed to go to Holly and Hoyt's wedding reception together. He didn't forget. He did that for me.

"Eric brought the tickets to you?"

"No," Holly replied. "He had them delivered to the wedding reception. This big, black guy brought them to us. He was quite nice to look it but alas, I couldn't flirt with him because I had only been married for over an hour. I think that Jason said that you and Eric were traveling."

I gave a quick chuckle as I rolled my eyes. "I've had so much going on that I'd forgotten all about the wedding gift. I am sorry that we missed your reception. We're just happy to know that you and Hoyt enjoyed yourselves."

She reached across the table and placed her hands on top of mine. "Will you thank Eric for us? I wanted to thank him myself but your husband is the hardest man in the world to reach."

My heart thudded in my chest. She called Eric a man. She didn't refer to him as a vampire or a monster. She didn't call him a blood sucker or a leech. No, she didn't refer to him as any of those derogatory names. She referred to my dear husband as a man. Other than me, no one else has ever referred to Eric as a man. She knew that he was so much more. That was the best thing that anyone could have said to me. With that one word, she alone has made my return to Bon Temps a memorable one.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't come to your reception. We really wanted to be there."

She sat back in her chair and fanned off my comment. "It's okay. After everything that happened the last time you were here, I don't blame you for needing some time to yourself. You were more than upset the last time you were here. Terry said that you might not come back after what happened. You needed to get away. You deserved that. Plus you had just gotten married. You and Eric needed that special time."

I almost asked what happened but I caught myself. I did what I thought I should do and nodded. I must have looked sad because Kennedy decided to chime in.

Kennedy agreed. "We know that you were there in spirit. We even toasted you." She then sat up and said, "Danny and I got married a couple of years ago." She began waving her fingers back and forth.

We squealed, laughed, and congratulated each other. "We are three married old women now. Isn't that exciting?" Holly asked. We talked about our weddings and their honeymoons. We talked about our new homes and our new lives. The best of all is that they didn't pass judgment on me. They didn't cringe when I talked about my family of vampires and Weres. They didn't turn their noses up at me. They accepted me and my decision to be married to the man that I love. It doesn't matter to them that he's a vampire.

"I can't wait to invite you all to our home," I said. "I'm going to cook us a huge lunch and we are going to gossip until our mouths go dry."

Both ladies laughed and said, "Deal."

"We'll even invite Tara. It will be great to have all four of us together again."

Holly and Kennedy looked at each other. It wasn't a good look, either.

"What? What has happened to Tara?"

Kennedy decided to speak up. "She doesn't live in Bon Temps anymore. She moved away. She said that she was tired of all the supes. She didn't want to stay around them anymore. She said that she was tired of vampires, Weres, and shifters. She said that she was tired of them all." That meant that she was tired of me.

I couldn't believe my ears. "How is she going to avoid being around supes? She can't go anywhere without bumping into a few. She knows that just as well as I do. We all know that. Since the supes have come out, our world has changed. I think that we've … I think that they've made the world better."

Holly didn't notice my slip but from the look on Kennedy's face, she did but she didn't let on. "I think that it's nice to have a little something different in the world but everyone doesn't see it that way. It would sure be a shitty world if everyone was just alike." In a softer voice, she said, "After all that she's been through, I'm surprised she didn't leave any sooner than she did."

Holly shrugged her shoulders as she agreed with Kennedy. "That vampire Mickey that she was dating tried to kill her. She told us that he almost beat her to death. I think that it's because of him that she's afraid of them. She and JB moved away to live with some family in Mississippi."

"Has anyone heard from her or seen her since she left?" I asked.

"No," Kennedy said. "When she left, she left. She said that she wasn't coming back. When she left Bon Temps, she left everything about it behind. She didn't want to bring her children up in this town. I guess the bad memories overshadow the good memories."

Holly added, "With the life that she's had, the good memories are few and far between."

I knew what they were talking about. Her childhood was filled with neglect. Her parents were drunks. They didn't take care of her or her siblings as parents should. Tara didn't have a life of love. I'm just glad that she is a mother now. She can give her children what she never had; a life of love and joy.

"I'm happy for her. At least she has her children. What did she have?"

They smiled and nodded. "Twins; a boy and a girl."

"Wow," I said. "I've missed so much."

"So?" Holly said.

That shocked me. "What do you mean so?"

She looked surprised. "You have a life with Eric. This isn't your life anymore. You can't concern yourself with what happens here. That was your problem to begin with."

Nervous laughter escaped me.

Kennedy then spoke up. "You cared too much about everyone in this place when very few people gave you a second thought. You were always taking care of everyone and no one was taking care of you. Just like Tara, there was no reason for you to stay here. I hate to say this, Sook, but they treated you like shit." She pointed around the bar to emphasize her point. "Hell, I would've hightailed it out of here too."

"Shit, Sookie," Holly said. "You're better than I am. Brother or no brother, I wouldn't have come back." They high fived each other as if they'd just said the most enlightening thing in the world.

"Why did you?" Kennedy looked almost confused.

"Why did I what?"

"Come back?" Holly asked. "Why did you come back?"

"I had to," I replied simply.

Kennedy looked deep into my eyes for a few seconds. It was almost as if she could see why I had to come back. She understood that I had to face what I was running from. She's been there. She reached across the table and patted my hand. "Did Jason tell you about Jane Bodehouse?"

I hadn't heard her name since I'd left. I almost laughed out loud. I wouldn't have remembered her name if I had heard it. Jane was the town drunk. She would drink her breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. I looked in the direction of the bar and I expected to see her sitting there. She wasn't there. There was no empty glass with red lipstick around the rim sitting on the bar. The bar stool was empty. There was no Jane Bodehouse. I then remembered the last time that I saw her.

She was sad and wondering if her life was ever going to get any better. She asked me if it would ever get any better. I told her that it would. I had to believe that it would get for her. If things couldn't get better for Jane, how could they get better for me? I had to make it true. I wanted to make things better for her but I didn't. My plans fell through. I died. No. I ran. I suddenly began to feel awful. What if things had gotten so bad for her, that Jane had given up? What if she thought that I had lied to her about things getting better?

"What happened to her? Where is she?"

Holly laughed. "Calm down. She ain't dead. She finally sobered up."

"What?" I was more than surprised. I couldn't believe my ears. Things had gotten better for her.

"Yep, she's sober."

I placed my hands to my mouth and yelped a little. Mustapha glanced up. Before he looked back down at his newspaper, I saw the smile on his handsome face. "What happened?"

Kennedy rested her elbows on the table and said, "This little old man came in here one day and sat down at the bar beside her. She was working on her tenth glass of Jack at 10:00 in the morning. She was about to place the glass to her lips when she looked over at him and smiled. She asked him if he was her guardian angel." She then started to giggle. She must have noticed the _'how do you know what she said' _look on my face. "I was wiping down the bar and just happened to hear what they were talking about."

Holly and I laughed loudly.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," we said simultaneously.

"Anyway, he told Jane that he had plans for her. He told her that things were going to get better for her. She started crying. You guys should have seen the look on her face. She couldn't believe that someone was going to help her. She had a light in her eyes that she'd never had before. It was like she could live now. She had something to live for."

Niall; it was Niall.

"When I first saw the old man, I thought that he was just a mean old man. He didn't smile. He didn't greet anyone. He didn't look at anyone. He came into the bar and took a seat. He seemed kind of snobbish if you want to know the truth about it. I didn't want to wait on him."

I couldn't help but laugh. It was Niall. He doesn't care too much for humans.

"He did something that I didn't expect," she continued. "He touched her shoulder and told her that he was going to help her. He told her that her life was about to change."

Holly decided to take over. "And things did change for her. She hasn't had a drink in over five years. She's working as a counselor now for the local AA center. She's even gone back to school. Her son is so proud of her. He's not ashamed of her anymore. We're all very proud of her."

They went on to tell me about the other things that have changed in the town. Bon Temps now has its own hospital. The town is now in the process of building a mini-mall. There are other offices that are opening up in the area. More and more jobs are coming to Bon Temps. From what Kennedy and Holly have said, the population of Bon Temps has grown. People from all over have moved to the once small and quaint little town.

I smiled at the ladies and said, "It's really good seeing you two."

"Sookie," Kennedy said. "I have never seen you smile as much as I've seen you smile today. It looks good on you."

"I'm always smiling."

A very loud '_ha_' left Holly's mouth. "When you worked here, your smiles were always fake smiles. Today I've only seen happy smiles." She playfully nudged my shoulder and asked, "Is it because of Eric?"

I blushed. "Yeah. Isn't it funny?"

"What?" they asked.

"Love," I said. "It's great. You meet the man of your dreams and you forget about everything and everyone else. Before him, you don't remember crying or what it feels like to be lonely. He takes all of that away. He makes you feel like the most important and wonderful creature in the world. To him, there's no one in this world that's like you. Your life is filled with love and laughter and it's all because of him. You realize that you never knew love until him."

Both ladies looked at their wedding rings and nodded. The smiles on their faces were as infectious and as beautiful as I'd ever seen them.

"You'll do anything to make him happy because you know that he'd do the same thing for you," I continued. "You'll even stop being stubborn and making things hard on him because you love him and because you know that it'll make him smile. You'll let him protect you even though you can protect yourself. You'll lean on him a lot more than before and he'll feel like the king of the world. You'll do all of this because you know that he'll love it. To see him smile and to know that he's happy," I said as I swooned over the images of Eric's face. I could almost feel him swell with pride. "It's the greatest feeling in the world."

"I love being in love," Holly said.

"It's the reason I get up in the morning," Kennedy replied.

"I can't wait to start having more babies," Holly said.

"Neither can I," Kennedy agreed.

"I can't wait to see you two ladies pregnant." I was smiling. They weren't.

They realized what they'd said and suddenly began feeling bad for me. The colors around them had suddenly changed to the saddest of blues. I didn't want them to pity me. There was no reason to pity me.

"We're sorry, Sookie," Holly said. "We didn't mean to ..."

"You're sorry for what?" I asked. "Because I can't have babies with the man that I love? Is that why you're sorry? Oh, my friends. There's no reason to feel sorry for me. I'm not. I have accepted my fate. Eric is the one that I want to be with and I have no regrets. This is what I want. _He_ is what I want." I reached across the table and gripped their hands. "Don't ever be sorry for telling me what you want in life and don't ever feel sorry for me, okay? I'm happy." Without meaning to, I showed them my love and my joy. I could've stopped it but I didn't. They needed to know. Pretty soon, they were no longer sad for me. If anything, they were happier for me than they were before.

"You're amazing," they both said. They eyes were filled with wonder.

Placing my hands back in front of me, I whispered, "You have no idea."

The wonder was soon gone from their eyes but the feeling of pure happiness was still there. "What did you do to us?" Holly asked. Her smile was so wide that I could see all of her teeth and her tonsils.

"I don't know what you mean?"

She and Kennedy couldn't stop smiling.

"Sookie?"

I jumped up from my chair and turned around. Jason was standing behind me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried. He grabbed the back of my head and pressed it to his shoulder. He kissed my head as he told me over and over again that he loves me. Jason hugged me tighter than he has ever hugged me before. It was almost as if he never wanted to let me go. It felt good because Jason has never hugged me like that before.

"I've missed you, Sookie," he said through tears.

"Oh, Jason, I have missed you so much."

He kissed my cheek and stood back to look at me. "Where have you been? I've tried calling you. I even went to the club to see you but it was always closed."

What was I supposed to tell him; that I was in hiding because I really wasn't dead? Do I tell him that he was put under a spell to think that I was dead and then made to believe that I was traveling the world with Eric? I couldn't do that. I couldn't tell him that I had run away from my life and that's why I didn't call him.

"None of that matters. I'm here now."

I placed my hands on his cheeks and I saw every memory that Jason and I had ever shared; good or bad. There were memories of picnics with our parents out by the family lake. I saw the sadness in Jason's eyes when he noticed how our mom would flinch would I would try to hold her hand. There was the memory of finding out that our parents were dead. There were memories of us laughing and crying while watching playing out by the big oak tree in Gran's backyard. He blamed me for Gran's death. He hated that I dated a vampire. He'd even set me up in order to get himself out of a bad situation. I hated him for that but that was so long ago. It didn't matter now. They were nothing more than memories but they belonged to us. They were ours and ours alone.

"How did you know that I was here?"

"Terry called me." He then pulled me back into his arms but not for very long because we were interrupted.

"Look, you two can catch up later. I want to get in on the hugging." It was Calvin Norris, Jason's packleader. With him, was his wife Tanya. After hugging him and shaking Tanya's hand, I noticed the other faces that had gathered around us. There was Catfish Hennessey, Mr. and Mrs. Fortenberry, Halleigh and Andy Bellefleur, and quite a few more. I even looked up and saw my babysitter standing tall in the crowd. He was watching each and every person that had surrounded me. Warren was standing at the window.

There were questions about my many travels. There were smiles and laughter. There were hugs and handshakes. There were belated well wishes on my marriage. There were congratulations on my move. We even reminisced. It was a very good day because there were no bad thoughts.

_She looks happy._

_I never thought that she would come back. I'm glad that she did. It's good to see her._ I smiled at Catfish.

_I never thought that vampire's could love. Looking at her has proven me wrong._

_She looks amazing. _

_I wonder if she dyes her hair. It's beautiful. It's so thick. Jason looks really happy to see her._

_The rumors are true. She was never dead._ I looked at Tanya. She looked at me and smiled. She placed her finger to lips to her mouth as if she was shushing herself. I smiled at her and nodded.

_I can see the differences in her. I can't believe it._ _Russell was right._ Calvin gave me a slight bow. Then he spoke directly to my mind. _You have my pack's protection. Anything that you need, you can count on us._

I returned his nod.

Mustapha's familiar voice was soon in my ear. "It's 5:30." He was staring at Calvin and Tanya. Weres are not too keen on any Were that isn't a wolf.

I looked up at him and said, "I want to visit with my brother for a little while longer." I stared out at the crowd of people and told them that it was great catching up with everyone but there was one person that I had my heart today. "I would really like to spend some time with Jason. I haven't seen him in so long."

"Lucky you," Catfish yelled out. The bar soon filled with laughter. "Next time take me with you!"

"Fuck you, Shirley." There was even more laughter when Jason called Catfish by his given name.

Catfish gave Jason the finger and mumbled the word _'asshole'_ before walking to the bar to get another pitcher of beer. That's when everyone began saying their good-byes and telling me that they hoped to see me again. Holly, Kennedy, and I made plans to meet up with each other soon. We exchanged phone numbers and addresses and vowed to keep in touch. It was promise that each of intended to keep.

When Jason and I were the last ones left; other than Mustapha standing over my shoulder, he said, "I have to go and pick up Michele and the girls. They're going to be in the kindergarten play of Green Eggs and Ham." He then began running his fingers through his hair as if he was nervous all of a sudden.

I didn't want to read his mind so I didn't touch him and I put up my shields. It was close to dusk and I started to understand his nervousness. I wanted to meet his children and I wanted to see Michele but Jason didn't want Eric to come along because he's a vampire. It was okay. Even though Eric would never hurt them, Jason has every right to want to keep his family protected. It hurt but I understood.

"Well here," I said. I opened my purse and took out a pencil and piece of paper and wrote down my cell number. "You can call me when you have time. We can get together then."

Jason's face fell. "I know that it's getting dark and all but I was kinda hoping that you'd like to meet your nieces. I know that they're tired of hearing stories about you. And I'd bet $5.00 to a donut that they'd love to meet their Uncle Eric. They ain't never met a vampire husband before. After all, we are family."

I mouth went dry and my heart stopped.

"I wanted the girls to meet you guys but if you're going to be too busy we can set up another date." Jason's eyes suddenly brightened. "We can have big family cookout by the pond. You know …like we used to do with mama and daddy. Hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad ...blood. We can have a huge party with music and everything."

I started squealing and jumping up and down. "We can start our own family traditions!"

"Jason and Sookie; back together again," he said. "We can start over. We can be a real family. Just like the one we've always wanted. I'd really like it if we could start over. I want to be a better brother to you. I want to forget …"

"Forget what?" I asked.

Jason almost looked confused and he was about to protest but when I winked at him he finally got it. He tapped himself on the side of his head and grinned. "For the life of me, I can't remember what I was going to say."

I grabbed Jason by his shoulders and kissed him. "I'm going to go home and change and tell Eric about the play. If he can't make it, I will definitely be there. Nothing is going to keep me from meeting my nieces."

"Deal," he said. "The play starts at 8:00. It's not very long; thirty minutes at the most."

"Doesn't matter if it lasts for thirty hours. I'm there."

"We'll meet at the elementary school. Me and Michele will save you guys a seat."

"See you then," I said as I walked away.

Returning to Bon Temps was turning out to have been a very good idea.


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter 73**

**I Remember You**

**Please forgive me for the long absence. I have written three extra long chapters to make up for my neglect and I don't have a beta so I do all of my editing on my own. It may take a little longer than it should to post them but I will get them posted and again, please forgive me for neglecting the story as I have. So here you go and I hope that you enjoy it.**

**The story idea belongs to me but the main characters belong to CH.**

* * *

><p>As soon as Eric and I pulled into Jason's driveway, I felt as if I was at home. It had nothing to do with the fact that I lived a portion of my childhood here. There was something more, something was pulling me in. I closed my eyes and inhaled. It was the sweetest scent I've ever known. The feeling of being home was overwhelming. Jason's house has a little something to it that makes me want to be here and it's strong. It's very strong. It's almost as if...<p>

When we walked to the backyard, we were bombarded by the voices of two little girls. "Did you like the play? We hope that you liked it! It was really good!"

"It wasn't one of the best plays I've ever seen but it was okay. I got what I expected with a play that employed a group of five year olds." Eric's face was as serious as ever.

I shook my head as I laughed at his response. The girls ignored him. They grabbed him by his hand and pulled him along with them. Gladly, I followed.

"On your knees, Uncle Eric," the girls yelled out. Their country twangs filled the night air.

Eric did as the girls ordered him to and it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen. I asked him if I could take pictures; just for aesthetic purposes. Needless to say, he said no. Every time I made a move for my phone, he saw me. After a while, I stopped trying. I enjoyed watching Eric as he played with Jason's girls and surprisingly, he almost looked as if he was afraid of them. When they jumped on Uncle Eric's back, he didn't know what to do. His body stiffened and his eyes widened. He looked at me but said nothing.

I winked at him and thought to myself, '_You're going to be just fine, baby_.' I sent him a burst of ease and calm.

Little Sookie ran over and sat on the picnic bench with me. She looked up at me with her sparkling green eyes and said, "Why did you tell him that everything's going to fine Aunt Sookie? He ain't in any trouble, is he?"

I shook my head and whispered, "I didn't say anything to him. Not out loud. You heard my thoughts?"

"Mmmhmm," she answered in her sweet little girl voice. She looked down at her feet as she kicked them back and forth.

Eric looked over at us and stood tall; little Adele was still hanging from his neck, giggling as loudly as any little girl ever has.

"Sookie," Michele said as came outside to put the baked beans and potato salad on the table. "We don't use the word ain't cause it ain't no word. What have I told you and Adele about that? Don't use it again and I ain't playing with you, you hearing me?"

"Sorry, mama," little Sookie said. "He isn't in any trouble, is he?"

Michele nodded and said, "That sounds so much better. Good girl."

_She's just like me._

Little Adele looked at me and said, "How is she just like you? It ain't 'cause she's got yellow hair, is it? I got yellow hair too." She kissed Eric's cheek and said, "Me and my sister are just like you and Aunt Sookie. You got yellow hair. She got yellow. I got yellow hair and my sister got yellow hair. Daddy's got yellow hair. We all got yellow hair but mama. She has brown hair but it's okay. She can be in the club too, right?"

"Right," I answered. I couldn't think of anything else to say because I was shocked.

Eric and I looked from the girls to each other. Jason continued cooking the steaks and acted as if he hadn't heard a single thing that the girls had said. He also didn't tell me that the girls are telepathic. Why didn't he tell me? Why would he keep this a secret? Something like this is just too important to keep in the closet. There is so much that has to done for children with these special talents. He can't be like our parents and pretend that what they can do will just go away.

Little Sookie tapped me on my leg and with her little finger, she beckoned for me to lean in closer to her. When I did, she whispered, "He ain't like ...he isn't like your mama and daddy but it scares him."

"A lot," chimed in little Adele.

"He's not scared of us," Sookie said.

"Daddy would never be scared of us."

"Nope," Sookie said as she swung her legs. "Mama ain't ...I keep forgetting. Mama isn't scared of us either."

Eric came over to sit on the bench with me and Sookie. Little Adele was still hanging from his neck. He looked at Adele and asked, "Why is he afraid?"

Adele shrugged her shoulders as she let go of Eric's neck. "Him and mama think that someone's gonna get us. They have been real scared lately."

"It probably has to do with what we said," Sookie added.

"Probably. Come on, Sookie. I gotta pee," Adele announced as she ran off into the house.

"Me too," Sookie said as she followed her sister.

When they were gone, Jason came over to the picnic table carrying the steaks. "So? What do you think?" he asked as he sat down.

"And don't open that front door for anybody! You girls get right back here as soon as you've washed your hands. I ain't playin' now." Michele yelled at the girls as the screen door slammed behind her.

"Yes mama," they yelled in unison.

"How long have you known about this?" Eric asked Jason and Michele.

"Since they could talk," Jason answered. "But they're different. They don't talk out loud about what they can read in people's heads in front of other people; except for family. It's like they know that they can't let everybody know what they can do."

Michele poured Eric a glass of blood and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said.

"Anytime. I hope you like it. It's that Tru Blood," she answered. She smiled at Eric as she took her seat by her husband. "They're very bright. They cannot only read minds but they can look at people and they can see what's going on inside of them. You know what I mean?"

I was speechless.

"Like this one time, a salesman came by the house and said that he was selling some bullshit nonstick pots and pans. He wanted to get in bad but Adele looked at him and told me not to let him in. You'll never guess what happened next. Sookie came from the back room and handed me her daddy's gun… fully loaded. We never keep the guns loaded. How she got, I'll never know. It was at the top of the closet in a firebox …a locked firebox. We ain't ever told the girls that we have guns. Anyway, Adele said that the man was a bad man and he wasn't selling any nonstick pots and pans. He came here to get them." Michele rested her elbows on the table and said, "So, hell. I shot him dead in the head. I wasn't gon' let him take my girls away from me. It was either him or them. I decided that it was going to be him."

"I came home from work and there was a dead man in the backyard. Michele had dragged him out by the pond and left him laying there. I guess it's a good thing that we live out here all alone," Jason said with an added chuckle.

"Did you call the cops? What did they do when they found the body? You'd just shot and killed a man that came to kidnap your kids. You didn't have any proof. What did the sheriff say? They had to have asked you how you knew what he came there for." I asked question after question; never giving them a chance to answer the first one.

"We wasn't about to call Bud Dearborn. He ain't ever been too keen on us Stackhouses since Gran died. We knew better than to call the cops," Jason answered. "We did one better."

"This vampire that Jason knows helped us to get rid of the body." Michele looked at Jason and asked, "What's his name, baby?" She looked at Sookie and Eric and said, "He was so plain looking that I can't much remember him but Jason's known him for quite some time from my understanding. I'd only met him that night. What in the hell was his name?" she said as she tapped the side of her head.

"Bill," Jason said as he piled his plate with potato salad and baked beans.

"Compton?" Eric asked.

"Good ol' Bill Compton," he repeated. "He used to hang around a lot after you and Sookie got married. He'd come by and ask if we needed anything or if there was anything that he could do for us. He was always sad. I think it was because you two got married. I didn't want to be around it and I didn't want hear him bellyaching about Sookie. I always sent him away but that day, we needed him."

"If you would send him away any other time, why would he do anything at all to help you?" Sookie said. "Is it because of Eric? Did he owe a debt to Eric?"

Jason chewed loudly as she looked at me. "Have you done gone light in the brain, Sookie? Bill and Eric ain't friends. They ain't ever been friends. I think it's because Bill is still hung up on you."

"What?" I asked. Surprise filled me. Before I could ask questions about Bill Compton, Eric stopped me. He looked at me and shook his head ever so slightly. I could see that it wasn't that he didn't want me to learn about Bill. He didn't want me to let on that I don't remember anything about this Bill Compton, this sneaky vampire that is supposedly hung up on me.

"Yeah," Jason continued. "When you moved out, he'd be hanging around the house. It was almost like he was looking for you." Jason shrugged his shoulders. "He ain't ever been too keen on you being with the big, bad ass blond vampire over there." Jason winked at Eric and said, "Damn this steak is good. I wish you could taste it. Most of the time when I fix a steak, it's tougher than rubber but tonight, shit fire. It's as tender as I've ever had it." He slid the platter with the steaks on it to me and Michele. "You gotta try it. This is damn good."

I shook my head no. I was too stunned to eat. Michele began making her a plate.

"What do you do for protection?" Eric asked Jason.

Jason chewed and talked. "Michele's quit her job and she stays home with the girls. She carries them to school. No one's allowed to take them out of school. No one's allowed to visit them there or anything; no one but me and Michelle. And when they're at home, hell, my girl can shoot a gun almost as good as I can. Other than that, we do what we can to protect them." Jason's mood changed. "If I weren't a bitten were-panther, maybe I could do more to protect my family. Fuck! I can't even do that right."

I looked at Eric and knew not to say anything. Another bit of information I'd completely forgotten about.

"I don't ever want to hear such garbage leave your mouth again, Jason Stackhouse. You've always done your best to protect us. Don't ever say that again. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah baby," he answered. "I hear ya."

"Good," she said. Michele was soon spooning baked beans onto her plate, she said, "We also have wards on the house, remember?"

With his mouth filled with steak and potato salad, Jason smiled and said, "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

Looking at Sookie and Eric, she said, "Niall came by the house the day after I killed that man. He told Jason that he wanted to meet his great-great-granddaughters. Before he left, he said that they were special and that they needed to be protected. He said some faery chants and that was that. He told us that our enemies couldn't get into or close to our home anymore. He even sent your old roommate by."

Good ol' Amelia.

With his fork in his hand and his eyes trained on his plate, Jason said, "I love 'em, Sook. I don't know what I'd do if …." Jason looked up at us and asked, "I hate to ask you this but can you help us; you and Eric? We can't do this alone. Last night, Sookie Jr. said that there was a black mind in the woods. She couldn't hear what they wanted so I just guessed that it was a vampire. They said that there is another somebody watching them but they didn't know who it was."

"What did the images look like?" I asked.

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "Squiggly, I guess. She didn't really say. She closed the curtains and went to bed."

A Were or a shifter, maybe? Why would they be watching Jason's house?

Michele added to what Jason was saying. "They're coming out of the woodwork. We can't even leave our house at night anymore. We wouldn't be out here now if you and Eric weren't here. We wouldn't have even gone to the play. We would have had to come up with one our classic excuses; the girls wouldn't have been able to go for some unforeseen reason such as Jason had to work late."

The backdoor slammed shut and the two blond girls came running to the picnic table. "Smell our hands, mama."

They put their hands to Michele's nose and she inhaled. "My, my girls, your hands smell so sweet. I'm so proud of you. Did you put the towel back on the rack?"

"Mmmhmm," they said.

"Did you remember to turn the water off? Remember what happened the last time?"

"Mmmhmm," they said.

I saw images of water all over the bathroom floor in the girls' minds and they were having a ball playing in it. I had to stifle my laugh. Adele and Sookie looked at me and giggled.

"You did all that _and_ washed your hands?" Michelle asked.

The girls nodded.

"Well, you deserve big hugs and kisses from the kissing faery tonight. She'll show up as soon as you guys get ready for bed."

The girls giggled. "We love the kissing faery."

"Are you hungry?" Michelle asked them.

"Yep," they answered.

I watched Michele with her girls and my heart shattered into a million pieces. I wasn't jealous. I was happy for them. Jason deserved a family and he deserved happiness. After all that we've been through, no one deserves a family as much as he does. I never thought that I'd live to see the day when my brother would be a daddy. When I looked up, I could see Eric looking at me and his eyes were sad. I reached over and gripped his hand in mine. I love him and I don't need children to be happy with him. Children just weren't meant to be a part of our lives and I have come to terms with that. It doesn't bother me. I just wish that it didn't bother Eric.

"He loves you," Adele said. "His color is blue. He's sad. I can see it. You can't ..."

"Don't say it," Sookie said. "I told you not to say some stuff. Keep quiet, now."

"Okay but he does love her."

I hugged him and said, "I know. I've always known."

Eric returned my hug. He then turned to Adele and said, "You are a nosy little girl. I'm going to have to take your nose."

When he reached for her nose, she did something that I never thought I'd see. She popped herself to the other side of the yard. "You can't catch me!" she yelled excitedly. She was ready to play but her parents were not happy with what she'd just done.

Sookie yelled at her. "You know you can't do that outside. Mama, Adele popped away again. And we're outside!"

"Get over here right now, Adele Marie Stackhouse!" she said. "I mean it. Right now!"

Adele popped back over to where we were and her little face was no longer happy. She knew that she was in trouble. "I'm sorry, mama."

"Is your daddy gon' have to paddle your behind?"

Jason looked surprised when Michele said that. When she looked at him, she gave him the look that said _you'd better go along with what I just said_ and just as any good husband would have, he did. Jason looked at Adele and said, "Yeah. Just like your mama said, young lady."

Eric went into protection mode. "You can't do that. What if a vampire is watching you?" He looked at Adele and said, "You must not do that again. You are putting yourself and your family in danger."

"Eric," I said. "Don't say it like that. She's only a little girl. You're going to scare her."

"It's fine," Jason said. He nodded at Eric and repeated it. "It's fine. She's a little girl but she's different. She's …"

"A very intelligent little girl," Eric finished. He kept his eyes on Adele. "I will not talk down to you because I know that you understand the dangers that await you and your sister. I will speak to you as you should be spoken to. You do understand, don't you?"

She nodded.

He kneeled down in front of Adele. He called Sookie Jr. to stand with them and told them what they needed to hear. "There are beings out there that will do anything to take you and your sister away from your parents. They don't care about human life. They don't understand human love. Even most humans can't understand human love. They don't care that your parents love you and they don't care that you love your parents. This is not a game."

"Someone wants to kill mommy and daddy." Sookie looked at her parents and her little eyes welled up with tears.

"They're bad people," Adele said. Her little voice was trembling.

Jason and Michele looked away when they looked at their little girls. What surprised me is that they didn't look surprised and they didn't look scared. They didn't show fear because they already knew. The girls had already told them that someone wanted to kill them.

"Jason?" I asked.

He nodded. Michele began to cry.

"You know that Niall came to see us," Jason said.

Eric and I nodded. I spoke up. "What did he say?"

"That he could protect them," Jason answered. "He said that he wouldn't hurt 'em. He would keep them safe. Desmond has even come by to make sure that they are okay. He even said that it would be safer for them to be with Niall. He wanted to take them to some country called Faery but I said no. They're our girls, Sook. I'll die before I let anyone take them away from me."

"I won't lose my family," Michele said. "We will fight 'til the end."

"I will let nothing happen to your parents," Eric said to the girls.

"Don't make a promise that you can't keep," Sookie Jr. said. There was no emotion in her voice. No emotion was in her eyes. They've all come to terms with what they believe will happen.

Eric was just as surprised as I was by the words that she'd just spoken. "What do you mean?" he asked her.

The girls looked at each other and yawned. "Mama, we're tired. Can we go to bed now?"

"You didn't finish eating."

They looked at each other and said, "We're not hungry. We're tired."

Michele wiped at her eyes and nodded. "Come on and let me get you two bathed and into bed. Go and give your kisses and hugs."

Adele and Sookie hugged and kissed me and Eric. When they kissed Eric, Adele said, "I love you, Uncle Eric. I can't read your thoughts but your color is pretty." She kissed and hugged me and said, "I love you, Aunt Sookie." She walked over to her mama.

Little Sookie said nothing to either of us. She gave us hugs and kisses and ran over to her mama and her sister.

She took both girls by the hand and asked, "Bedtime story tonight?"

"Yes," they cheered.

"What do you want to read?"

Adele put her little finger on her chin and her eyes brightened when she faced her sister. "Good, Sookie! Read us the Giving Tree."

"The Giving Tree it is," Michele replied. "I'll be back once I get the girls into bed. You go on and tell them everything about the girls, Jason. I love you."

This time Jason swallowed his food and stared longingly into his wife's eyes. "I love you, too. You'll never know how much."

For the second time tonight, her eyes welled up with tears. "I won't be long."

He watched his family until they disappeared into the house. Once they were gone from view, he dropped his eyes to the table.

I looked from Jason to the spot where Michele once stood and I was afraid for them. They seemed resolved to the idea that something was going to happen to them. They expected to die. What surprised me most of all is that they weren't going to fight. Jason and Michele have always been fighters. They aren't the types to just sit back and wait. Jason always has a plan; a half-assed plan but a plan nonetheless. What has happened to change my brother?

"Jason, what's going on with you? What aren't you telling me?"

My heart almost stopped when he looked up at me. His sparkling and happy eyes from earlier tonight were gone. The smile that looked so beautiful on his face was gone. His eyes were somber and worrisome. His face was blank and old. He ran a trembling hand through his graying hair; graying hair that I didn't notice until now.

"Please, Jason," I begged.

Eric placed his hand atop mine and waited patiently. I desperately wanted to know what was going on with my brother but I stayed out of his head and did what any telepathic sister would have done. I waited but before he could say anything, something caught my and Eric's attention; something in the woods, something just beyond the pond.

Before I could get up from my seat, Eric was already on the other side of the pond and gone. I knew that whatever was out there, he would find it.

"When Michele told you guys that we wouldn't be out here if you guys hadn't come tonight, she was right. For the past couple of months, someone is always in the woods."

I walked to the other side of the bench so that I could be closer to Jason. He quickly took my hand. I raise my shields as not to read him. I wanted to hold his hand as his sister and supporter. Not as a telepath.

"You know that whatever you need from me, I'll give you. I love you, Jason. You're my family."

"I know," he said. "I've always known. Just ask me questions, okay? It's easier that way... for me it's easier."

"Okay," I answered. "When did you first notice that they were different?"

He chuckled. "They were two and talked to people that weren't there. They danced and played with people that weren't there. They used to say that Gran was in their room. She was watching over them. I never doubted it for a second," he said. "At three, we learned that they don't see people by race but by colors; yellow, red, black, blue. They're just …different and they are so smart, Sookie. They ain't nothing like me. They look like me but they're so smart. When they grow up …."

He didn't finish the sentence.

I swallowed deeply. "Have they seen something?"

A tear dropped from his eye.

"What have they seen?"

"Lots of things," he said. "Remember when I told you that they were smart?"

I nodded.

"If you've noticed, they don't talk like most five year olds. They carry on conversations like old women. They've never spoken in half sentences. They've never said da-da. They knew how to use the right words at two years old, Sookie. Hell, most of the time, they're correcting me."

"Are we the only ones that know this?"

"Yes," he answered. "That's what's so amazing about my girls. They know not to do any of their gifts in front of anyone that ain't family. Sometimes, Adele can be a bit too quick to use hers but Sookie usually keeps her in line. They're always looking out for each other." He soon added, "I want to tell you that I'm sorry, Sookie."

"For what?" I asked.

"For never accepting you as you were," he said as he lifted my hand to his lips. "You're special just like my girls and I'm sorry to have been ashamed of you. I didn't know then how stupid I was being. Your differences make you special and I should've told you. I wish that I had known better."

Before I knew it, I had wrapped Jason in my arms and gave him my love and my forgiveness. When I released him, he looked different and he looked happy. "I love you, Jason."

"What did you do to me?"

"Nothing," I said with a smile. "Just know that if you ever need me, I'll be right here."

"I'm glad to hear that, Sook."

We hugged one more time before we got back on the subject of the girls. "What can they do; the girls I mean? What gifts do they have?"

"I said they can see the color of people, didn't I?"

"Yeah."

"Adele can see the past and Sookie can see some of the future. This one time, we went to a diner that the girls picked out. When we got there, they decided where we were going to sit and everything. Once we were seated, they instantly looked at the man that sat at the counter. The girls started talking to each other in their heads. We can always tell because their little eyes start looking everywhere. We asked them what was going on and Sookie looked at Adele and nodded. When that happens, we know that Sookie's not going to say anything. Adele's going to tell it.

"Well, they could see that the man was going to kill the waitress that was waiting on us. He'd been watching her for a long time and he planned on killing her. He was going to wait for her to get off work and he was going to take her and kill her." Jason's face scrunched up in pain. "They could see everything that he was going to do to her."

I almost fainted. Those girls knew ahead of time where to go and where to sit. They knew which waitress was going to wait on them. They knew who the man was and they knew of his victim. They knew that he'd been planning on killing this innocent girl. They're more than telepaths. They're nothing like me. They're more than I am.

"What happened next?"

"When the waitress went into the bathroom, Sookie told Michele to follow her. She told her mama exactly what to say to the girl. When Michele went into the bathroom, she told her that the man that was at the counter; the man that had been there since her shift started, was up to no good. Michele told her what she needed to do. She told her that when she leaves the bathroom, she needs to come to our table but wait a few minutes after leaving the bathroom. When she takes our dessert orders, she needs to go into the kitchen and go out the backdoor and bust out the taillights of the guy's gray car; the only gray car in the parking lot."

"And she did it?"

"Yep and after she busted out the lights, she had to call the cops. Her shift was about to be over. He needed to crank his car so that the cops would see that he had a busted taillight. When she called the cops, she needed to tell them that it was the same man that had taken the Craig girl the month before. They'd found her body out by Wee Wah Point. She was to tell them that she remembered him because she had written down his license plate numbers because he was out there at 3:00 in the morning and was dragging something through the woods. He must have seen her and he was there to shut her up."

"And?"

"They believed her! When she got off work fifteen minutes later, he followed her. Once she'd gotten into her car, he cranked his. That's when the cops were right there to get him. Just like my girls said, he had the evidence in the trunk of his car; the knife that he'd used on his other victims, a tarp that had traces of blood on it, handcuffs, and duct tape."

He went quiet and took a long sip of his beer. I wanted to slap the bottle from his hand but I didn't. It almost killed me but I waited for him to finish. Lo and behold, he popped open another beer.

"Jason!" I yelled. "Will you stop it? Tell me what happened next!"

"Nothing else to tell," he said. "When they checked his house, the cops found even more evidence. The guy's in prison now."

"Wow," I was I could think to say.

"I know, right?" Jason said. "Wow describes my girls."

Just then, Eric came blurring from the woods and the backdoor to the house slammed shut. Eric looked at me and I knew that he found something. I also knew that he wasn't going to say anything in front of Jason and Michele. I got a glimpse of what he was thinking. He didn't think they'd be able to handle it.

"Where you been?" Michele asked Eric.

"On patrol," he answered.

"So?" she asked. "What'd you find?"

"Woods," he replied as he sat down next to me.

She cocked an eyebrow and said, "Okay." She looked at Jason and asked, "Did you tell them? Do they know?"

"What they can do? Yeah, they know."

"Not that silly," she said as she ruffled his hair. "Do they know that we knew that they were coming tonight?" Michele looked at me and Eric and said, "Sookie told Adele a couple of weeks ago that y'all were coming and in turn she told us. Adele said that Eric was going to find something but wouldn't tell what it was until after we tell you what they told us two weeks ago. I guess what they said was going to happen, happened." Michele tried smiling but it wasn't a real smile. As a matter of fact, it was the saddest smile I'd ever seen before in my life.

"The kids really like you guys, too," Jason added.

"So, if we ever need a babysitter, we can count on you, right?"

"Sure," I answered. "I'll be glad to watch them for you."

"Eric, can we count on you …to babysit, I mean?"

"Yes," he answered. "Their gifts need to be protected. _They_ need to be protected. I will do everything in my power to keep them safe."

Jason and Michele clasped their hands together. Michele looked from Jason to and said, "As you already know, Sookie can see things before they happen. I think that they both can but Sookie seems to know a little more than Adele. My point in saying this is that she saw that something is going to happen to me and Jason. They know that Jason and I won't be around too much longer." She looked at Jason and kissed him. "We just don't know how much longer we have."

Jason rested his forehead against Michele's and closed his eyes. "When Terry called and told me that you were back, I knew that what the girls had seen was going to happen."

I take a quick look at Eric and his face was as blank as I'd ever seen it but I knew that he was deep in thought. He looked at me before he decided to speak. "I caught three men out in the woods and I killed them. I've called three of my vampires to watch over your house and your family. The other two minds that they '_heard'_ belong to Bill Compton and Sam Merlotte. I will do my best to protect you."

"Oh, Eric," I said.

"They're family and you love them."

"Sam's out there?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Eric said.

I was about to ask who Sam is but again, Eric stopped me.

"Are they here now?" Michele asked.

"They're around. You will be safe. I will send Weres to watch you during the daytime hours. Sam is going to send shifters. We will do our best to keep you safe."

Jason looked at Michele and asked, "They didn't see this, did they?"

She shook her head no. "I don't know. They didn't say."

"The vampires will not be seen by you or your children. The Weres will be at a safe distance but if anything happens, they will be able to reach you in time," Eric said. "I will do all in my power to keep you safe."

"Really?" they asked.

"I give you my word."

"I love you," I blurted out. "I love you so much, Eric Northman."

Eric looked at me and he smiled. He winked at me and sent a burst of love through the bond. When he faced Michele and Jason again, he was no longer smiling. He was the Viking vampire warrior that I've always and will forever be in love with.

For a second there, a real smile was on Jason's and Michele's face. They looked so much happier. They even looked a little more hopeful than they did before. "We might have a chance, huh?"

She and Jason wrapped their arms around each other. They finally had a glimmer of hope. I could see that they even if it wasn't permanent, a glimmer was just fine.


	73. Chapter 73

**I Remember You**

**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews. I'd especially like to thank you all for sticking with me and this story for as long as you have.**

When I got out of the shower, Eric was lying in the bed and he was as naked as a jaybird and reading some book from the 15th century. He was flipping through the pages with such speed that I thought that he was going to rip the pages from the spine. I offered to buy him a Kindle Fire but my old school husband said that he prefers books. I looked at him and shook my head. Even after all of these years together, he still amazes me. Though he didn't look up at me, he smiled when I entered the room. And not surprisingly, he knew that something was on my mind.

"Go on," he said as he flipped through dozens more pages. "I'm ready for whatever it is that you have to say to me. I've spent my life preparing myself for you."

I finished rubbing the towel through my hair and joined my naked husband in our bed that was now full of naked people; well, two naked people. I was on my knees when I looked at him and I smiled broadly. "I hope that you mean it because I want to know what this Bill Compton is to me and what I am to him. I want to know why he stalked my house. I want to know why my brother said that Bill is still pining over me. And since I very well couldn't ask Jason, you, my dear, sweet, sexy husband, are the only one that can answer my questions."

Eric sighed and placed the book on the nightstand by his side of the bed. He crossed his ankles and patted the empty spot next to him. When I settled in, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. His hand was nestled sweetly under my slightly damp breast. I looked up at him and waited; a smile plastered on my face. When he looked at me, I knew that what he was going to tell me was not going to be good. I knew right then that I was going to need that smile more than anything.

"He was your first."

Have I ever mentioned that Eric doesn't believe in beating around the bush? Just thought I'd mention it.

Still smiling, I said, "My first what?"

"Your first everything," he answered.

I shook my head as if I didn't understand but after a few seconds, I realized what he meant. "Bill Compton was my first boyfriend?"

"Yes," Eric answered.

"Bill?"

"Bill."

I shook my head again and said, "No. I wouldn't date Bill Compton." After a slight pause, I asked, "Would I?"

Eric nodded.

"But I don't like him."

"Not now, my lover, but you used to."

I think I threw up a little in my mouth. "How long did we date?"

"For awhile," he said. "You were in love with him."

I was no longer nestled in Eric's arm. I sat cross-legged on my side of the California king sized bed and stared at the nothing that surrounded me. Eric couldn't be telling me the truth. There is no way I'd be with the likes of Bill Compton. He's not honest. From what I've learned about him, he's sneaky, underhanded, and treacherous. He's nothing like my husband. What could I have seen in a vampire such as Bill Compton? It can't be true. I looked at Eric and stared at him.

"You're kidding me."

"No, lover. I am not. The subject of you and Bill have never been what I would call humorous."

I looked at our bed and asked, "Why is our bed so big? We always sleep in each other's arms. We don't need a bed this big. It's just damned big."

"Sookie," Eric said.

"I know but how …why would I …I couldn't have …was I that lonely? Did I just breakup with someone and Bill was my rebound guy? That has to be right, right? Bill Compton was no more than a rebound guy. Some hunk dumped me, probably you, and I got stuck with Bill." I nodded as if that was the only and final explanation.

"No."

"So, why?"

"You didn't do it willingly. He made it happen." He patted the spot next to him once again and said, "Come back to me, lover and I'll explain as best as I can."

I looked at Eric and sighed. Obediently, I made my way back to his side. Instead of resting my head on his shoulder, I lay on my pillow and looked up at him. He stared at me for a minute before he began to speak.

"When I first met you at Fangtasia and you were with Bill. Upon seeing you, I knew that you were different. You weren't afraid of vampires when you entered the bar. You looked around and I could see that after very little thought, you'd come to some sort of decision. You sauntered in and started questioning the vampires as if you owned the place."

"Déjà vu, huh?" I asked playfully.

"Yes. What struck me though was how you approached me and Pam. We were the most powerful vampires in the building but you showed not an ounce of fear. You talked to us as if you were speaking to everyday humans. It didn't matter to you that we were vampires. You weren't like the other humans. You weren't eager to please us. You didn't want our approval. Do you remember the first smart ass remark that you said to me that night?"

"Yes," I giggled.

"Well, aren't you sweet?"

"Not especially," I answered.

"You had me then. I didn't scare you in the least. The only problem was that you let Bill claim you as his. I knew that you hadn't been with him. I could smell your innocence, your virginity. You'd only had his blood but he'd never been your lover."

"It was for protection," I recalled. "That's what he told me. It was for my own good."

"In a way, it was for your protection but there was more to it than that. He was too possessive of you …even for a vampire. I knew that something wasn't right with him when it came to you. Bill was the type of vampire that would feed fear into his human in order to keep them close to him, to trust only him. His game was to keep you away from other vampires. He wanted you to depend on only him. Need only him."

A flash of memory came to me. Liam, Diane, and Malcolm; three of the most dangerous vampires I'd ever met answered the door to Bill's house one night. I'd made some calls for him and was going to give him the information. At the time, it never occurred to me that he was setting me up to trust only him and they were the perfect trio to use. They gave me the creeps. They wanted to eat me and when they left Bill made it a point to tell me over and over again that other vampires weren't like him. He said that they'd all lost their humanity and that they hated all humans. He said that he was the only vampire that would protect me. He was the only vampire that would keep me safe. Every other vampire would have a hidden agenda.

I sat up in bed and looked at Eric. "He wanted me to fear all vampires but him."

"And it worked."

"Like a charm," I added. "What changed with me and Bill? Why did we breakup? Did I finally wake up and see him for what he was?"

"No. He left you for his maker," he answered. "Her name was Lorena and she called him to her. As you know, when a maker gives his or her progeny a command, it has to be followed. He freely left you behind."

"Damn," I answered. That was quite a blow. "Did he even tell me that he was leaving me or that he wasn't happy with me?"

"He told you that he had business to attend to. After some time had passed, he quit calling you altogether. You were worried sick about him because you loved him. You believed him to be missing and in danger."

"I was wrong."

"Yes," he answered.

For some reason, Eric was sad because he had to tell me these things. Maybe he believed that it was dredge up some horrible memories for me or I would want to go back to Bill but that wasn't an option.

"Did he ever come back?"

"Well, after some time but before he did, he called me and told me to compensate you for the time that you two were together because he wouldn't return to your side. He told me that you were no longer his. You were free game. Needless to say, when I told you that he wasn't coming back, you were devastated."

When I met him a few days ago, I knew that Bill had some shit with him. His brown eyes were filled with sneakiness and deceit. How could I have been so fucking naïve and stupid for the likes of him? I hope that he and Lorena are happy together. I hope that they spend the rest of eternity tiptoeing through the dead tulips and they get stung by bees that have silver tipped stingers. Fuckers.

"Compensate me? He was going to pay me off like some …some …fucking prostitute?"

"It's not as it seems," Eric said. "It was never assumed that you were a lady of the evening. No one in my retinue believed or thought that of you. At least not around me. It's different with vampires. We want to take care of those that we've loved. That's what he wanted to do."

"I cry bullshit to that answer. He probably figured that I'd let his cheating fly by if he paid me off. When he returned, I hope that I didn't take him back because if I did, I'd kick my own ass."

Eric laughed. "You did not but you are the reason we found him. With help, you found him in Mississippi. Bill had developed the program that allows vampire children and makers to find each other and they wanted it. He told her about it and she wanted it because she knew that with that program, power and money would come it."

"Good," I said. "Are he and Lorena still together?"

Eric chuckled. "No. She kidnapped him and tortured him for the king of Mississippi because of that program. When you found him, he was bloodied and beaten. He was near death. When you went to save him, she attacked you. You staked her. Don't get it wrong. You didn't do it because he left you for her. You did it because she betrayed him."

"Good," I said with a stiff nod. "Good riddance to bad rubbish. Both of 'em. I have another question. Why didn't I kill him for trying to take Amelia for the queen? Why would I let him go?"

"You remember the queen?"

"Yes," I said. "She died in the attack when Felipe de Castro took over her territories. I remember that. I was kinda sad when we found out she'd been sent to her final death. I didn't trust her but she wasn't all bad. She wasn't that good either but that's not the point. What I'm saying is that she wanted Bill to take Amelia."

Eric looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. "Why in the world would Bill want to take Amelia? Why would anyone want to take Amelia for that matter?" His face was turned up in disgust. "Nobody wants Amelia."

Giving him the evil eye, I said, "Eric. That was not nice and he's not the one that wanted Amelia. The queen wanted her; Sophie Ann. She always wanted to collect the most extraordinary people and things. And with Amelia being a wonderful witch, I figured that's why Bill went to Bon Temps in the first place; to take Amelia."

From the look on Eric's face, he had no idea what I was talking about. That kind of made me feel important. He had no idea. I couldn't believe that I knew something that the great Eric Northman knows nothing about. I think I've one upped him.

"Amelia told me that the queen collected special things. She's a special witch. It all comes together. He went there to take Amelia. Even though you don't like her, you have to admit that she's an extraordinary witch. She's the most talented witch that I know so, why would I let him live when he tried to kidnap my best friend?"

"Sookie," Eric said as he took my hands. "He didn't go to Bon Temps to take Amelia. No one would go to Bon Temps to take Amelia. No one would go anywhere for Amelia. Bill went there to take you. You are what's extraordinary. The queen wanted _you_. Your now dead cousin Hadley told the queen about your gift of telepathy. She wanted to harvest that gift for herself. She sent her most talented procurer to take you."

I was speechless. I flopped back on my pillow and looked up at the ceiling. He made me fall in love with him. He took all of me… ALL of me that I willingly gave to him and it was no more than a game. I was no more than a fucking toy for him to play with. He used me. He made a fool of me.

"I want him dead," I whispered.

"No, you don't," Eric said as he lay back on his pillow and looked at the ceiling with me.

I turned my head to face him and asked, "Why not?"

Imitating my movements, he said, "That's not your style."

"He used me."

"I know, lover."

"Did the queen tell me what Bill did to me when he took me to her?"

"No but he never took you to her. You went on your own."

"I did?"

"Yeah; she needed your help when your cousin was sent to her final death."

I looked at the ceiling and nodded. Hadley was a vampire and I helped the queen that wanted to harvest me for her own uses. I could see me helping her before I knew what the game was; probably even after but so what? She didn't use me. Bill did.

"How did I find out what he'd done?"

"I did some investigating. Thanks to an anonymous source, I was able to expose Compton for what he was. _I_ made him tell you the truth."

I was on the ceiling and in a hospital bed. I'd been attacked by a vampire that hadn't fed in a very long time. Bill came to hospital to visit me. He feigned concern. Eric soon followed him and what I see now, I didn't see then. There was a look of pity in his eyes …sadness. He was about to make Bill tell me about the betrayal. When Bill started telling me his reasons for coming to Bon Temps, Eric turned his back so that he couldn't see my pain. He pitied me. He knew that I was about to be hurt and he even though I was human at the time, he didn't want to see it. His goal was never to hurt me or to cause me pain.

"You've always loved me."

"Since the night you walked into my bar," he said.

I sat up and looked at Eric and said, "Then why didn't you kill him?"

"As I said before, that's not your style. You loved him, Sookie. And though I hate to admit it, he loved you."

"No, he didn't."

Laying on his side and propping himself up on his elbow, he said, "He may not have loved you at first but he loves you now. He's always loved you."

"He had a shitty way of showing it. He tricked me. He lied to me. He used me. There's no telling what else he's done to me that I can't remember but he loves me." I chuckled. "Yeah, he loves me so much. He's THE one for me. A liar, a cheater, and a user; what more could a woman want?" I pretended to swoon over a lost love that I'm glad is lost.

The look on Eric's face told me that there was something that he wasn't telling me. It had to have been a bad one because he wasn't looking at me. As a matter of fact, the look on his face right then matched the look he had the night he made Bill tell me the truth. And just like last time, it was scaring me.

"What aren't you telling me?"

He stared at me but didn't see me.

"Eric?" I said as I pinched him. "Tell me."

"I found you two in the trunk of a car." He fell silent and said nothing more.

He was scaring me shitless with his theatrics. "Will you just fucking tell me what happened? You're making it worse by pissing around. Tell me what happened."

"I didn't know for sure then and I don't know now what happened but when I opened the trunk you were bloodied and your pants didn't look right."

"Are you saying that he …he raped me?"

"I'm not sure but the look on your face wasn't quite right. When I asked you if you were okay, you said that you didn't want to talk about it. So, I don't know; not for sure."

I looked down at my hands and I instantly went back to that night. He hadn't eaten and we were in the dark trunk. I was terrified of being in there with a hungry vampire. I didn't know what was going to happen. When he woke up, I tried telling him that it was me but …

"Oh, God," I whispered. "He raped me. I remember. He raped me and I forgave him just like that. I made excuses for him. I kept saying to myself that he didn't mean to do it, that he didn't know what he was doing." Then another memory hit me. "That night that he took me to Fangtasia the first time, we left after the cops came and we pulled over to the side of the road. He was kissing me and I nipped at him and he said something that I never gave a second thought to."

Eric looked angry and the bond was filled with anger and hate. He growled his next words. "What did he say?"

"He said that if I did that again he would have me whether I wanted him to or not."

Before I knew it, my warrior and my protector was blurring back and forth across the room. He was moving and talking so fast that I could barely see him and I missed almost half of what he said to me. "I … regent and he raped my wife! I knew …! I should've … I had the chance! Something told me to kill him that …! I didn't kill him when …! Fucking Bill … I am going to rip his fucking …!"

I sat on the bed and cried as my husband ranted and raved about what he didn't do and what he knew. I wasn't crying for me. I was crying for Eric because I could feel that he doubted everything that he'd ever done for me. Because he didn't protect me from my rapist, he failed me. Even after all he's done for me, because of this one thing, he believes that he's failed me. My poor baby. He doesn't realize that there was nothing for him to do because I didn't tell him. _I_ protected my rapist because I thought that I loved him and that he loved me.

"Eric, baby," I said as calmly as possible. Using the back of my hand I wiped the residual tears from my eyes.

He blurred to where the highboy was. He picked it up and was about to turn it into kindling. I '_took_' it from him and carefully placed back in its original spot. Unlike before when I used my power, there was no surprised look on his face. He just stood there and bathed in his anger.

"Sit with me, baby."

Eric didn't move. He stood in the middle of the bedroom floor and stared into the same nothingness that I was admiring earlier. I knew that there was no calming him down and I knew that he was blaming himself. I was going to have give him time but that didn't mean I couldn't let him know how it was, is and forever will be.

"It's not your fault."

He finally looked at me and said, "I knew that something was wrong when I opened the trunk to that fucking car and I did nothing. I saw that something was wrong and I did nothing. Sookie, I smiled at you and made a stupid joke." Bloody tears pooled in his eyes. "I smiled and did nothing."

"No, baby. You did nothing because I wouldn't let you do anything," I said to him.

Getting up from the bed, I joined my husband in the middle of the floor and I wrapped him in my arms. I gave him my love and my trust. I gave him every ounce of faith that I had within me. I rested my head against his chest and said, "I didn't let you protect me because at first, I believed that you were the enemy and that Bill loved me; even after he left me for another woman and raped me. No, baby. It's not your fault. I let him get away with it."

Eric rested his chin on the top of my head and just stood there; his arms hanging by his side as if they were limp noodles.

"You've always protected me, Eric. I didn't protect myself. You've always believed in me and you've always told me that I am capable of anything. No one has ever loved me as you do." I began to cry again and I stood back and looked at him. "You are the first man to ever tell me that I'm beautiful. You are the only man to make feel as if I'm more than a telepath. You are everything to me. So don't you ever think that you haven't taken care of me or loved me enough. Because without you, I'd have given up on love a long time ago," I said to him. "Do you hear me, Eric Northman?"

I hated seeing that helpless look in his eyes. Eric's not used to being helpless. He's over a thousand years old and helplessness is not a feeling that he's used to. He's strong and he's powerful. He's wonderful and he so smart. He's my Viking, my warrior, and my protector. He's only ever wanted to protect me and to keep me safe. I believe that with heart and in my head. With this one incident, he's forgotten about the other wonderful things he's done for me.

As bloody tears fell from his eyes, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed them away. "Do you hear me, Eric Northman?" I repeated.

He nodded and wrapped me in his arms. "I love you, Sookie. I've always loved you."

"I know."

"I'm going to kill Bill."

I shook my head and said, "No, you're not. It's not your style. You're going to keep him as your regent and we're going to win this battle against the FoTSs and the BVA." Placing my hand to his cheek, I said, "And together, we are going to speak with Bill about the past that he and I share. Okay?"

"Together?"

"Yes. Together."

"I still want to kill him."

"I know, baby but you won't," I replied. "It defeats the purpose. This is why I died, Eric."

He looked confused.

"I had to die order to accept the past that I was ashamed of and to live the happiness that I deserve. Bill Compton is a part of that past. We can't live our lives living in hate or regret. We can't live our lives wishing that we could change what we can't. It's over and done with. We accept it and we move on. We have to live for each other and I love you. We can do this, baby."

Eric looked at me with resolution. "You are right," he said in a very serious tone. "Now that we've had this little chat, I'd like nothing more than to hold you in my arms; if that's alright with you?"

Coyly, I asked, "You only want to hold me? I was hoping for a little bit more than a cuddle." I rolled my eyes and backed away from him. "I thought maybe you'd like to …you know, chase me around little bit." I kicked my foot back and forth as if I were being a naughty child. "But I'll understand if you're too old for that. After all, you are a senior citizen." With a cocked eyebrow, I asked, "Are you eligible for Medicare?"

He ran his hand across his already bare chest and looked at me. His fangs snicked slowly into place. "Are you trying to be funny, Mrs. Northman?"

"No, sir," I said as I playfully backed away from him. "I'm just saying …you're old, Mr. Northman."

"Not too old to chase you."

Before he knew it, I'd popped myself to the living room; my hand was over my mouth so that he couldn't hear my giggles. When I peeked around the door frame, I felt a hand go over my already covered mouth. I playfully began kicking my legs back and forth as he pressed his cool body against mine and dragged back into the room.

Whispering in my ear, Eric said, "Maybe you're the one that needs Medicare."

I turned to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. As I kissed him he easily slid inside of me. He begins to frantically kiss me; as if it's going to be the last kiss. While he makes love to me, my breath catches in my throat. It feels so good when we are connected. We both let out twin moans of bliss as he thrusts inside of me. Eric loves me as sensuously and as slowly as he can. My back is pressed against the fabric covered living wall as he makes love to me. I can feel that he's about to reach his moment and I roll my head to the side because I know what he needs, what he wants. He doesn't hesitate when it comes to feeding from me. His fangs pierce my skin and my warmth flows into his mouth and down his throat. My life flows through him. I can feel his every emotion. I can feel his life. The feeling causes me to reach my climax a lot sooner than I'd expected.

I wrap my legs tighter around him and beg him for more. "Please, Eric. Fuck me!"

He obliges. With each thrust, he cries my name and tries to go deeper than before. When I bite into his neck, he explodes inside of me. He could hold it no longer. With both shudder as we hold onto each other for dear life. When we were done, Eric clutches me closer to his body and kissed my neck and face. Over and over again, he tells me that he loves me. He gently sits me on the couch and lights the fireplace.

When it's going, he picks me up and lays us down on the carpet and covers our body with the afghan from the farmhouse. We enjoy our bliss and each other. We talked about our time with Jason and his family. We talked about the play and how good it was to be with family.

"I'm glad that Jason has changed. It's a good thing that he's accepted you As my husband, too. If he hadn't, I would have cut him out of my life. You know that."

Eric nodded. "You would have tried but I wouldn't have let you. Those girls need you."

I smiled at those words.

"Their acting skills leave much to be desired."

I looked at him and laughed. "They're children, Eric."

He shook his head and said, "Yes, they are."

I smiled as I thought of them. "They're sweet too, aren't they?"

"They are …something. They made me do things that I, as a king, should never have to do. They had me crawling on all fours. And that Adele? She used me as a jungle gym. She tickled me and Sookie, I think that she when got on my back she called me a pig."

I laughed harder than I've ever laughed before. "She said she wanted a piggyback ride. She didn't call you a pig."

"Oh, I see. So I guess I shouldn't have called her one back."

I sat up and said, "You didn't?"

"I was defending myself."

The serious look on his face made his comments even funnier. After my fit of laughter was over, I leaned down and kissed him. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I know."

I smacked his chest and lay in his arm. "This is good." I looked at him and said, "We are good. _This_ is good."

"It's a big house."

"It's the perfect house. It's our home."

"You don't want something smaller?"

"Are you kidding me?" I asked as I glanced at him. "I love it. The parties, the dinners, and the friends that we're going to have over; Eric, our home is absolutely perfect. We need a little more furniture but other than that, it's great."

"You're not hard to please."

"You've given me everything."

Eric stared into my eyes and used his arm to roll me on top of his body. His mouth tasted like heaven. The coolness of his lips warmed me all over my body. The kiss was sweet and lingering.

"I love you," he said as he rolled me onto my back. He brushed my hair from my face and looked at me. He didn't enter me. He didn't kiss me. He stared at me and everything we'd ever wanted to say or needed to say was said in that one moment.

"Aunt Sookie, Uncle Eric, mommy and daddy won't wake up. They're out by the pond."

Standing in the doorway of our living room stood our nieces and they had blood on the front of their pajamas.


	74. Chapter 74

**I Remember You**

**Thank you all so much for your reviews, alerts, and favorites. I also want to thank you for sticking with me during my missing period. I will do my best to dedicate more time to this story. **

**I hate to complain about guest reviews but I today I am. There's only one in particular that I'm going to complain about. I received a guest review (which I deleted) that was rude; just plain rude. I don't mind guest reviews but I hate it when reviewers hide behind that guest moniker to be rude and mean. I don't mind critical reviews in the least. As a matter of fact, I welcome them. I take them as a learning tool. I even accept some suggestions and when I use them, I give the reviewer credit but when the reviews aren't critical but mean, I have to draw the line. I will no longer accept the nastiness. I'm not saying that I'm going to delete all guest reviews but I will be deleting the rude ones because I don't feel that I deserve that and I won't accept it. I hope that no one thinks that I'm being rude or nasty because I don't mean to come off that way. I'm just getting tired of people using the internet as a bullying tool and I won't let them do it to me.**

**The main characters belong to CH. The side characters and the story idea is mine.**

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><p>When Sookie jumped up from my body, we were no longer naked. We were wearing sweats and t-shirts, the fireplace no longer provided the light for the room. The lights in the living room were on. She ran over to the girls and dropped to her knees. The blood on their shirts told her everything that she needed to know. Her eyes were filled with tears. She looked up at me and shook her head. She wanted me to tell her that it wasn't true. She wanted me to tell her that her brother and his wife were fine. She wanted me to say that this was no more than a bad dream. I gave her what I could.<p>

"You shouldn't think the worst, lover."

Sookie's eyes told me that she already knew. Her angst and pain filled me. Not too long after, blame was the next feeling she bestowed upon me. It was almost as overpowering as her love.

"I'm sorry." She looked at the girls and said, "I'm so sorry. If I had stayed …"

"Don't say it," I warned her. "Don't you even think such nonsense. You are not going to do this yourself. I will not allow it. We've already sacrificed too much for you to go back down that familiar road." The girls looked at me but said nothing. It was as if they knew what I was speaking of. I shook the absurd thought out of my mind. They aren't old enough to even know of their aunt's past.

Sookie bit into her top lip as she nodded. "You're right. I won't do this."

Adele hugged Sookie and patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, Aunt Sookie, it's not your fault. It was going to happen whether you showed up or not. You and Uncle Eric gave them a little more time together. What you did was give them more time together; you and Uncle Eric."

The little girl kissed Sookie's cheek as she comforted her. Jason was right. They don't speak like your normal, everyday five year olds. I knew that everything that I needed to find out from the girls would be the same as being there. They would give us vivid detail. There was so much that we needed to ask them but my wife was unable to function and that's quite understandable. She may have lost the last member of her original family. As far as she knows, she's the only one left.

While Adele soothed Sookie, I looked at Sookie Jr. and asked, "What happened?"

She looked at Adele but said nothing. The girls nodded at each other. Still. Sookie Jr. never opened her mouth but Adele did.

She held her aunt Sookie's hand as she told me what she and her sister had seen. "It was far away from the house and it came from the trees. We warned them that it was going to happen. They wanted to leave but it wouldn't have mattered. Daddy cried after you left. He came into our room and kissed us. He told us that he loves us. He said that he'll die loving us. After that, they went out to the pond to swim like they always do."

Sookie Jr. smiled. "They like to kiss under the moon."

Adele turned up her nose and said, "Yuck."

"Yuck," Sookie Jr. added. Her eyes saddened a little more than before.

"When we left, they were on the ground. They got 'em when they got out of the water. We didn't hear the shot but we knew what it was. Mama wasn't moving. Daddy was moaning and not moving. He wouldn't open his eye and they have blood was on their faces."

"You didn't have to see it, did you?" Sookie whimpered. "Please tell me that you didn't see."

Adele nodded. "Yeah, but not tonight," she said. "We saw it …"

"No," Sookie Jr. said. "You can't say it. They won't understand."

Adele listened to her sister and didn't say anything else. "Okay. I won't tell," she answered. She pretended to zip her lips and she clammed up.

Sookie and I looked at each other. We were intrigued and more than a little surprised at how the girls were acting. I wanted to ask them what was going on but that would have to wait for later. I needed to find out what happened to the protection that I'd ordered. Where were Bill and Sam when all of this took place? Where were the three other vampires that were supposed to be watching their home? Jason and Michele were supposed to be guarded. Right now, they should be in bed holding onto one another, loving one another. They should be planning for tomorrow and the many tomorrows to come. Their children were supposed to be in their beds safe and warm. They are supposed to be thinking about whatever children think about. They're not supposed to be here with me and Sookie telling us that one or both of their parents are dead.

Sookie Jr. studied me for a long moment before she spoke up. "The vampire and the shifter went off to chase down the men. The other vampires didn't make it. They had silver bullets and stakes. When the vampire and the shifter left, that's when mama and daddy were hurt."

She read my mind.

She continued to stand there and stare at me. There was no expression on her face. There was nothing in her eyes.

No. She didn't read my mind. Maybe she remembered what I told Jason and Michele about the protection that was patrolling their home. I continued to stare at the little girl. She knew just as well as I did that she didn't hear me telling her parents anything. She and her sister were in the bed when I told their parents about the vampires and the shifter. There's no way they knew about them; not unless Jason and Michele told them about it. I just couldn't see them telling the children anything like that. They are protective parents but they wouldn't uselessly worry their children. I can't see them doing that.

Yes. She read my mind. I looked at her and sent her a direct thought.

_Did you hear my thoughts?_

She nodded.

_You know that vampires are dangerous and they are protective of their privacy. _

She nodded.

_I am a vampire._

She shrugged her shoulders.

_You're not afraid of me._

She shook her head.

_Good._

A faint smile almost appeared on her face.

"_I'm sorry about your parents."_

The faint smile stayed on her face.

"_Are you afraid?"_

Again she shook her head.

"_Why?"_

She looked at me and she then looked at Sookie. She knew that with us they were going to be just fine.

"What's going on with you two?" Sookie asked as she stood up.

Sookie Jr. looked at Sookie and smiled. She said nothing.

"Nothing at all."

"Hmmm," Sookie said. "I don't believe you for one second." She looked as stern as she could but the told me that she was pleased.

"Did the vampire come back?" I asked Sookie Jr.

"Yes," she whispered. "The dark vampire, Bill, he was carrying a woman over his shoulder but she wasn't dead. She was the one that did it. The woman was afraid though because the vampire told her that she would pay for hurting my aunt Sookie. He told her that she would pay for bringing chaos to his king's territory. When the shifter came back, he was the one to call for help. Before Bill left our house, he told us to come here. He said that you'd keep us safe. I believe him." She blinked and added, "My daddy's blood is on me." Her voice and her bottom lip began to tremble.

I kneeled down in front of her and stared into her eyes. They were filled with longing and sadness. She looked as if she was waiting for something to happen. It was as if she would be forever waiting for something to happen. Her eyes, they almost reminded me of mine. My eyes looked like hers before Sookie came into my life. As long as they have me and Sookie, they wouldn't have to wait for something to happen. They will be safe. They will protected and they will be loved.

Before I knew it, the little girl had wrapped her arms around me and cried. I hesitantly returned her hug and held her to me. Something in me wanted to comfort her until all of her pain has been washed away. I wanted to tell her that she and her sister were going to be fine. I wanted to tell her that we, I and Sookie, would make everything okay. Instead, I said nothing. She didn't need my comforting words. She needed to cry.

"Eric," Sookie said.

When I stood up, Sookie Jr. was still hanging from my neck. Her little legs were swinging back and forth. With my arms at my side, I said, "Yes, my lover."

Little Adele was holding onto Sookie's hand for dear life. I placed Sookie Jr. on the floor beside Sookie. My wife said to me, "I'm going to go upstairs and get the children bathed and into bed. They can sleep in my old LSU campus shirts. Maybe you'd better come with us. We need to take a shower too." She looked at the window and then at me. I knew that something or someone was coming.

"Company's coming," Sookie Jr. said.

I looked at Sookie and she agreed with her niece.

She held her nieces hands as we walked from the living room. "I'd wear a suit if I was you," Adele said. "You'd probably look really good in a suit."

"He does," Sookie chimed in. "But a suit might be a little much, don't you think? I think that khakis and nice shirt will be better. Wouldn't that be a little more suitable for this late at night?"

Sookie Jr. put her hand on her hip. Adele placed hers on her chin. The girls looked at each other and nodded and as usual, Adele spoke up. "I think she's right, Uncle Eric. You don't want to look too fancy."

"Well, I guess we'd better go upstairs and make ourselves presentable. What do you think, lover?"

"I think you're right," Sookie answered.

So upstairs we went to prepare ourselves for our company. Neither Sookie nor I knew what to expect but we were more than ready for whatever was coming our way.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>Once the girls were bathed and in bed, Sookie came into our bathroom and took her shower. I readied myself while she was tending to the children. When she emerged, she looked absolutely stunning. She was supposed to have an understated look but she can't do understated. Sookie's too beautiful for that. She put on a pink, white, and black skirt with a black cashmere sweater. She put her hair up in a bun and wore gold hoop earrings. I watched her as she applied a dab of pink lipstick on the softest and sweetest lips I've ever seen and tasted in my life. To see as she is now, during this time of tragedy, made me admire her even more than before.<p>

"Eric? Did you hear me?"

I shook my head no.

"Sookie is different. I can't get a read on her at all. I can read Adele but in scrambles. Neither of them's really clear." I don't think she wanted an answer because she didn't give me a chance to speak. She shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn't really that big of a deal. "It doesn't matter. As long as they need us, they've got us." She looked at me and winked.

See? She's amazing. She's absolutely amazing.

She looked at me through the mirror and smiled. "What?"

"Nothing," I said.

She started blushing and said, "What?"

I looked at her and sighed. I shook my head as I stared at her.

Sookie's face fell. She started running her hands over her clothes and nervously touching her hair. "Should I change? Is this too much? Maybe I should've put on the jeans instead."

"Not at all," I answered. "You look beautiful. You're absolutely stunning. I just wonder what you're doing with the likes of me."

She put the cap on her lipstick tube and placed it on the vanity. She turned around and looked at me and said, "Your heart. I know that it took me awhile to see it and even longer for you to show it to me but it's your heart that's drawn me to you. You're a good man, Eric." Walking towards me, she added, "The sex isn't so bad either."

From the look in her eyes, I knew that I was going to be wearing pink lipstick for our guests but something stopped her in her tracks. Her eyes clouded over and a frown appeared on her face. She looked in the direction of the hallway and said, "They're almost here." She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her. "They didn't come alone, either. They're being followed." She nodded as if to confirm that information with herself. "Yeah. They're being followed and they don't realize it."

"Who is it? Who'f following them?"

She didn't say anything. It was as if she was listening and she couldn't hear it unless she was quiet. When we were at the bottom of the stairs, she ran to the front door. She didn't open it. Oddly, she pressed her ear against it.

"There's a cop from Bon Temps and one from Shreveport," she whispered. "The cops aren't the problem." She motioned for me to come to her.

When I was at her side, she pulled my head down to the door with hers. I couldn't hear what she was hearing. "It's the BVA." She pressed her ear closer to the door. She started smiling. "They can't get past the gates. The cops have made it through. They've come to talk about Jason and Michele."

That's when I saw it. The pain in her eyes told me that she knew what they were going to say, why they were coming to our home. She turned away from me and quickly swiped tears from her eyes. She inhaled deeply and sighed.

"Don't go outside," she said in a soft voice. "Don't leave this house. I will go alone to do what I have to do."

Before I could protest, she stopped me. "You can't come. You have to stay here with the girls."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see." She stood tall and ran her hands over her outfit. She looked up at me and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "I should've braided your hair. You look so good when your hair's braided."

There was a knock at the door. I took Sookie's hand into mine and together we answered it.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>"I'm Eric Northman and this is my wife, Mrs. Northman."<p>

"My name's Andy Bellefleur." As an afterthought, he introduced his partner. "This is Cassidy Bradshaw. We're detectives."

Sookie nodded at them and gave them a devastatingly beautiful smile. "Hello. It's very nice to meet you both.

She didn't remember the cop Andy Bellefleur and it's obvious that he didn't remember her. He didn't remember the times he disrespected her or tried to use her gift to his advantage. He doesn't remember how great of a person she was and is. He doesn't know that she told me of his treatment of her because if he had, he wouldn't have had the nerve to come to our home. He doesn't know that he is missing his chance to know the most wonderful person in the world. I'm sad to say, it's his loss.

"Remove your shoes and leave them on the front porch. Once you've done that, you may enter our home," I said to the police officers. They looked from me to Sookie as if they believed me to be joking. Needless to say, I was not. When they realize that I'm not joking, they remove their shoes and enter the house with only their socks on.

I watched as my wife led the cops into the living room. She always amazes me. Only seconds ago, she was crying for her brother and now, now she's acting as if she didn't have a care in the world. She was calm and composed as she stood at my side. She is the most elegant and the most beautiful queen I've ever seen in my life.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" she asked them. "We have tea, bottled water, soda. Whatever you want, we have. Except alcohol; you are on duty aren't you?" She laughed but it was a nervous laugh.

Though I can't read minds, I knew what was going on in that beautiful, blonde head of hers. She wasn't ready to hear what it was they wanted to say. I squeezed her hand and pulled her closer into my side. Without bowling her over with emotion, I gave her as much of me as I possibly could.

The cops laughed with her. Andy removed his hat before he spoke directly to my wife. His nerves were just as scrambled as Sookie's were. "You may not remember me, Mrs. Northman but I grew up in Bon Temps. I knew your grandmother. She and my grandmother Caroline used to be in the Descendants of Glorious Dead club together."

"The Descendants of Glorious Dead?" Sookie asked.

"They enjoyed the history of the Civil War. They used to travel to battlefields when they would go on vacations."

"Ah, yes. I remember," Sookie said fondly. "Gran did love that club but I'm sorry. I don't remember your grandmother."

Andy began blushing and said, "I figured you wouldn't. You probably don't remember me either. I used to always think that you were the sweetest and nicest girl in Bon Temps. I just never knew how to say it. You know with me being older than you and all. I didn't want to come off as a pervert." The fucking cop turned an even brighter red. He was going to be dead soon if he continued with this blatant disrespect.

"That never would have crossed my mind," she said.

"Well, you know," he said shyly.

I stepped in front of Sookie and showed the cop my fangs. "Are you flirting with my wife, Andy Bellefleur?"

"Eric," Sookie said. She gently placed her hand on my arm and smiled at the detective. "I'm sorry but no, I don't remember you, Detective Bellefleur but please, have a seat won't you?"

The police officers were under the assumption that they were going to sit on the couch. They were wrong. Sookie and I sat on the couch; still holding hands and sitting side by side. We saved the recliners for them. My wife needed me and under no circumstances was I going to leave her even if it was only a few inches apart. Sookie squeezed my hand and I knew what to do.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Andy placed his hat on the coffee table. He took his little notepad from his pocket and leaned forward as he rested his elbows on his knees. "I've come with some bad news. Something has happened with your brother and his wife, Mrs. Northman."

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Andy began running his hand through his thinning hair. His face was sweaty and red. From the look on his face, he didn't want to be the one to tell her. Cassidy looked at her partner and gave him a look that said she would take it from there. She cleared her throat before she worked up the nerve to say what she had to say.

"Tonight, we received a call that there had been a shooting at 1733 Chickaree Lane. When we got there, we found your brother and his wife out by the pond. They'd been shot."

She tired but she could hold it no longer. Sookie sobbed as the detective told us what happened.

"Your sister-in-law died instantly. Your brother, he is in a coma but from what we have learned from the doctors, he's brain dead. If we'd gotten there in time, maybe we could've save him …but we didn't. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this Mrs. Northman. The hospital wanted to call you but we didn't think that you needed such news over the phone."

"Thank you," I said. "We appreciate your concern."

Sookie turned away from the detectives and her eyes locked onto mine. She buried her head into the crook of my neck and cried. The bond erupted with more pain than I've known. She wasn't okay. That one emotion filled me to my very core. Her pain was mine and I carried it willingly. I caressed her head and lovingly kissed her cheek. I told her that we would get through this. She would not have to suffer through this alone. The police officers were in awe of us. I can only assume that they'd never seen a loving couple before.

"Mr. Northman?"

"Yes," I said.

"We can't find the children. They are missing," Cassidy said.

"They are not," I said.

"So you've seen them?"

"Yes. We went to see the children in the _Green Ham and Eggs_ play."

"Did you go back to their home after the play? We noticed that they must have had a cookout or something. The grill was still hot and there were plates on the table. I even saw a glass with bloody residue in the bottom of it. Can I assume that you were there?"

"You can. While there we did what families do when they have a gathering."

"So, were the children there when you left?" Detective Cassidy asked.

"No."

"I know that this isn't the best time but we need to know where they are. They could be in danger." Her impatience was starting to show.

It tickled me. The squeeze of Sookie's encouraged me to answer her question. "I assure you; they are not. When it was time for us to go, the children asked Jason and Michele if they could stay the night with us. He said that they didn't mind if we didn't mind." I paused. "We did not mind."

"So the children are here?" Andy asked.

"Yes. They are in bed."

Andy thought that his unassuming tone would make me warm to him. "May we speak with them? Maybe they know something that can help us out. If they heard or saw something. Right now, we don't have much of a lead. There are no tracks. No shells. Nothing."

Good job Bill and Sam.

"No, you may not speak with them."

The detectives looked at each other and then back at me. Cassidy shifted in her seat and gave me a half cocked smile. "With all due respect, Mr. Northman, you don't have any rights …"

Remaining calm and seated, I said to Cassidy, "I think that it would be in your best interest not finish that sentence."

"Are you threatening me?" She tried to sound brave but there was a hint of a quiver in her voice. The stink of her fear filled my nostrils.

"Not at all," I said. "I'm telling you how it is and how it will be."

"But we have every right to speak with those children. If you're worried about how they'll be treated, you and your wife can be with them the entire time."

In a friendly voice, Sookie stood up; still holding steadfastly to my hand. "I assume that you've come here to tell me that the many times my brother called you, you followed up on his concerns? You put cars on his house? You did everything in your power to keep them safe?" She laughed and said, "I didn't think so. If you had, they wouldn't be ..."

Both cops remained seated; surprised at her words. "We did all that we could," Andy said.

"Thank you for coming," Sookie said.

I couldn't help but smile at their embarrassment and ignorance. "Did you want to waste anymore of our time, detectives? We have things to do. We've answered all of your questions and we have nothing more to offer you."

Sookie agreed. "Well, we appreciate you letting us know what has happened with my brother and his wife. I will go to the hospital and do what needs to be done but as you can tell, it's getting late. Good evening," she said.

Andy picked his hat up from the table and said, "You're not going to let us speak with the children?"

"My husband said no. So the answer is no."

"Good evening," I reiterated.

Bellefleur was about to say something else but he swallowed those words back down. He glowered at me; almost as if he was daring me to say something else to him. As to humor him, I remained quiet. He muttered '_fucking vamp_' under his breath. He wanted to continue questioning us but he had nothing else. Cassidy knew better than to say anything. The police officers then stood up from their chairs and walked out of the living room. Sookie and I followed close behind them. Nothing else was said when I opened the door for them. We watched them as they put on their shoes and walked to their car.

After they'd driven away, I closed the door and turned to Sookie. She knew what I was going to say before I said it. "You can't go with me because they're still out there. They can't get close to us but if they see us leave, they'll be on us. I'm going to pop myself to the hospital to see my brother and do what needs to be done. You need to stay here with the girls." Sadly she added, "We're all they have now."

It took everything in me to not take her upstairs and tie her to the bed. I used to wonder if my life would be better if I'd never met her. When she was gone those five years, I got my answer. She is my weakness. She is the bain of my existence. I fear that she will be the death of me. The thought of her going to the hospital alone is the worst feeling in the world for me. Our bond is stronger. We are stronger and I can't stand being away from her; even for a second. The fear of her never returning eats away at my soul.

"Be careful and come back to me."

A sudden fear filled me. The five years without her being with me was all that I could see. The five years of loneliness and heartache coursed through me. I can't bear going through that again. I couldn't do it again. I won't survive it.

"Eric, please," Sookie begged. Her breath was ragged and her body was shaking. I'd given her more of me than she could handle. I instantly wrapped her into my body and apologized.

"Forgive me."

She rested her head on my chest and said, "Baby. I'm coming back. I promise. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I promise."

Reluctantly, I released her.

My wife kissed me and something happened that's never happened before. Her light filled the room and engulfed her. There was no shimmer. There was no pop. There was only light.

"I love you," she whispered as she and the light faded from the room.

Just as she left, there was a knock at the door.


	75. Chapter 75

**I Remember You**

**Thank you all so much for your reviews, times, and alerts. You guys are wonderful. As always, the story idea belongs to me but the main characters belong to CH. Again thank you.**

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><p>"Oh, Mrs. Northman," the nurse said. Her eyes were as big as saucers. "You frightened me. I didn't see you come in. I didn't even hear you come in." She looked down the long hallway and wondered why she didn't realize that I was there. She looked over the counter and at my feet. <em>She has on heels<em>, she thought. _Why didn't I hear her walking down the hall. _

I give her a friendly smile. I meant for her not to see or hear me as I came in. I want to be alone when I see my brother but alas; I have failed.

"Detective Bradshaw only called a minute ago and said that you were on your way. We didn't know that you'd be coming so soon and alone." She looked around as if she expected to see someone standing with me. She didn't think that I should have to do this alone. She'd been through this herself and it was hard enough having someone by standing at her side. She couldn't have imagined doing this alone. Poor girl. She isn't me.

"Follow me and I'll take you to his room." She looked at the nurse that was sitting behind the nurse's station and said, "I'll be right back."

The silent nurse nodded as she continued typing.

We silently walked down the long and lonely hallway. She would glance at me every now and again over her shoulder but said nothing. She wanted to say something to me. She wanted to ask me if I remembered her. Her name is Danielle. She used to live in Bon Temps but she moved for awhile so that she could go to school. She went to school to become a nurse. She wanted to make a better life for herself and her son. She has achieved her goal. She is making good money and her son is well taken care of.

"Do you remember me?" she finally asked after the last glance over her shoulder.

"Vaguely," I responded.

I do remember her. I saved her son. After some time had past, she'd learned the truth about how her son had been found. Kenya, a police officer in Bon Temps, told her that it was me. She'd gone to Merlotte's to thank me one night but I was gone. No one had seen me in almost five years. What I'd done was what anyone with my abilities would have done. It was nothing special. The boy didn't deserve to die and I wasn't going to let him. I wanted to tell her that it was not that big of a deal but I didn't want to talk about the past. I only wanted to see my brother. The only thing that matters is Jason.

"It has been a long time and were never really friends anyway." She shrugged her shoulders as we walked down the hall. She glanced at me and said, "I'm Danielle. I just wanted to say hello and that it's really good to see you again."

I smiled and said, "Hi, Danielle. It's good to see you." Sighing, I added, "How is your son? I hope that he's well."

"He's doing great. If it hadn't been for you ...," her eyes filled with tears. "Never mind. Do you get back to Bon Temps often?"

"No. Whenever I go back, bad things seem to happen," I mumbled.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"No. I said no I don't get back there very often."

She smiled as we continued our long walk.

When we reached Jason's room, she looked down at her feet and said, "I'm sorry for what you have to do tonight. You may not believe this but I used to be so in love with your brother." She looked at me and chuckled. "I used to think that he was the best thing since sliced bread. I'm sorry that you have to do this." Tears began to pool in her eyes. She pointed in the direction of the nurses' station and said, "If you need anything, I'll be down there. You can go on in. The doctor's in there waiting on you."

I thanked Danielle and watched as she walked away. When I went into the room, the doctor and another nurse was standing at the foot of my brother's bed. They were going over his charts and they were talking about him as if he wasn't there. They don't expect him to ever wake up and if he does, he would never be the same. There is too much damage. If he was as handsome as some of the nurses say he was, he will have to endure a lifetime of surgery. Even then, he'll never look the same. His life wouldn't be worth living if he does survive.

"When his sister gets here, we can ask her if she'll donate his organs," the doctor said. "The least we can do is to try and save some others since we can't save him."

The nurse silently agreed.

"Who are you to say such things about my brother?"

The harsh sound of my voice startled them both. I can tell that they didn't expect to see me so soon. From the look on their faces, I'd disappointed them. If I'd been another hour too late, they would have taken his organs without my permission. He would have been considered a John Doe without organs even though they knew that I was coming, they would have taken my brother apart.

Selfish fuckers.

They looked at me as if I'd spoken out of turn. To keep from looking at Jason, I kept my focus on my new enemies.

"Who are you to decide the quality of his life? Has it ever occurred to either of you that he can hear you? He's not a fucking tree stump!" I stared daggers at the doctor and his overweight sidekick. "Is this your idea of proper bedside manner?"

The doctor decided to speak up. "Mrs. Stackhouse, we are …"

"Mrs. Northman," I corrected. "My name is Mrs. Northman and your reasoning behind your poor treatment of my brother is moot." After tonight, I'd decided that neither of these people would have a job. They may not live past their shift. I haven't quite decided.

"Excuse us, Mildred," the doctor said to the nurse.

"Yes, Mildred. Get out."

Mildred looked at me as if to say that she's sorry but even verbally, her apology would have fallen on deaf ears. I probably would have ripped her tongue from her filthy mouth. Obviously, she could see what I was feeling in my eyes. She looked at the floor and hurried out the room.

"Please, Mrs. Northman," the doctor said. "It's not as it seems. We weren't …"

"Giving up on my brother?" I asked. "You weren't speaking of him as if he was already dead? You weren't hoping that I was going to be late so that you can take his organs without my permission?"

When I said that, the doctor's eyes widened. He was wondering if he'd said that aloud. He wasn't sure but he could almost swear that he hadn't. Either way, I wanted to kill him. I wanted the doctor to be one that was lying in that hospital bed instead of my brother. I had to calm myself because the doctor was very close to being the one lying in that bed and his organs were going to be donated.

"Tell me why I'm here."

He knew that his pleading and his reasons for speaking of my brother in such a way weren't going to get him anywhere, so he did as I ordered.

The doctor flipped through the clipboard and proceeded to tell me what is wrong with my brother. "Mr. Stackhouse has suffered severe brain damage. His brain had gone without oxygen for too long and there's nothing that we can do. The lower right side of his face is gone. We've done as much as we can to give him a semblance of a face. He's blind in his right eye …ahem, what's left of it." He looked at me and said, "We need you here to decide if he's going to remain connected to the machine or if you're going to unplug it. It will be up to you if his organs are to be …"

The look I gave him kept him from going any further. He flipped through the papers on the clipboard as if he was looking for something when we both very well knew that he wasn't.

Still not looking at Jason, I told the doctor to leave the room. "I want to be alone with him. I want to talk to my brother and I want him to tell me what he wants. Forgive me if I don't believe you when you say that he's dead and his quality of life doesn't matter."

"Mrs. Northman, you can't speak with your brother. He hasn't even opened his eyes. He hasn't responded to anything at all. You may not believe this but I am sorry, Mrs. Northman. There's nothing of your brother remaining and for that I truly am sorry."

And the doctor is sorry for every bit of what's happened to our little family. The sad thing is that I didn't care.

"When you first entered the room, you misunderstood us, Mrs. Northman. We didn't mean to sound as if we didn't do all that we could to save him. I swear to you, ma'am, we did. It's just that there was nothing more we could do for him."

"I heard those hateful, ugly words as they left your mouth. I heard you," I spat at him. "That's all that matters to me. Now leave me with my family."

The doctor returned the clipboard back to the clasp at the foot of Jason's bed. When he left the room, I still wouldn't look at Jason. I closed my eyes and thought of how my brother looked on our first day of school or how he looked while we were watching his children perform in their school play. I remembered how he looked when he kissed them goodnight. I remembered how he looked as he held his wife in his arms. I remembered his smile and the sound of his laughter. I held onto how much I love him. The images of tonight filled my mind. I just hoped that they would remain when I turned around to face my brother.

When I saw him, my hand instantly went to my mouth. The person that I saw before me did not look like my brother. The half of his face that hadn't been blown away was covered by a flimsy sheet. I can only assume that the part of the sheet that covered his face used to be white. The one eye that was visible to me was closed and blinked rapidly. I walked over to the chair that was by his bed and sat down.

"Jason?" His name almost got caught in my throat.

The only answer I got to his name were the incessant sucking noises of the breathing machine and the beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor. I called his name again; hoping against hope, praying against prayer that he'd answer me.

"Jason?"

Sucking noises

Beep, beep, beep

With shaky hands, I gripped my brother's hand and listened to his now empty mind. My head dropped along with my heart. I raised hand to my lips and kissed it. I brushed my cheek against his hand as I cried. When I was finally able to speak, I told him about Michele.

"She's gone, Jason."

No twitch.

No tear from the exposed eye.

Sucking noises

Beep, beep, beep

Still holding his hand but resting my chin on the bedrail, I asked, "Do you remember the time Gran and Papa Earl took me, you, and Hadley to the local fair?" I chuckled as we relived the memory. "As soon as we got in the car, all you talked about was riding that roller coaster, _The Bullet_. Do you remember that? All day long we had to hear about you riding _The Bullet_. I couldn't ride because I was too small but you did your best to get Hadley to ride it with you. She said okay but she as scared as I'd ever seen her. Gran kept telling you that it was going to be scary but you said that you didn't care. You said that you were a man. You said that over and over again until you saw the roller coaster. You saw how high it was and you were terrified. Hadley came right out and said that you were on your own. She wasn't getting on it. You didn't say one word because you were a man, remember?"

I stared at his eye; waiting for something. All the while, I knew that I would get nothing. I sighed and continued on with my story.

"I never told you this but I knew why you ate all that crap at the fair. How many funnel cakes did you eat that day? Seven, ten." I laughed as I squeezed his hand tighter; hoping that he could see what I saw. "You drank at least six Dr. Peppers. You ate four hotdogs loaded down with everything. That was the first time you'd ever really disgusted me …when we were children."

No smile.

No smart remark.

I laughed. I had to. It was either laugh or cry. I couldn't cry because I couldn't let him think that there was no hope. I wanted him to feel the good memories and not my sadness. I wanted my brother to feel love and happiness. He deserved that. My story continued.

"You threw up all over yourself and on papa's feet. His shoes were awful. Your shirt was the nastiest thing I'd ever seen. It was so disgusting that even Hadley got sick. Getting Hadley sick wasn't a part of your plan but it definitely worked in your favor. When you looked up at Gran and Papa Earl, you had the saddest look on your face but your insides were relieved and empty. You said to them, '_I guess I can't ride The Bullet now, can I?_' Gran said no and that we needed to get you home and into bed. You smiled all the way home."

I lifted his hand to my mouth and asked, "Can you hear me?"

Incessant sucking noises

Relentless beeping

I needed to tell him another story. Another story was going to wake him up and he was going to be laughing right along with me.

"Remember that time you tried to rebuild my bike?" I asked. "It was a regular old bike but you said that you could make a faster bike. It just needed more wheels. You said that you could put training wheels on the back tire and I would be the fastest and the most popular girl in Bon Temps. All you needed to do was work on my bike like the real mechanics do. I jumped at the chance to get a faster bike. There was a catch though. I couldn't see it until you were finished with it. And dumb me, agreed to it."

I laughed like hell as I thought about that day. Still holding his hand, I scooted my chair closer to his bed and leaned back. I crossed my legs and finished telling him the story of the bike.

"You worked on that bike all morning. When you were done, I couldn't believe my eyes. The handlebars were on backwards. The training wheels were on the back tire and they were wobbly. You said that the pink paint that was already on my bike made it look too girly so you decided to paint it …with house paint …house paint that was a mixture of every color house paint that you could find in the shed. You made me a new fangled bike seat. It was your bed pillow cut in half and covered with your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pillow case. You made me the ugliest and the prettiest bike I'd ever seen. I was so proud of that bike. Do you want to know why?"

Nothing.

"Because you did it for me," I whispered as I leaned forward in my seat. I kissed his hand once more.

Nothing.

"Please Jason, wake up. I need you in my life. Forgive me for leaving you for those five years. Wake up so that we can make up for the lost time. Please, Jason. You have to wake up. Your daughters need you. _I_ need you."

Nothing.

"Please don't leave me."

Nothing.

"If you go, there's no one left of the original family but me. No mama and daddy. No Gran or grandpa. No you."

I knew that everything that I was saying to him was futile. Jason was gone. My brother died out by his pond with his wife at his side. It didn't matter to me though. I continued to talk to him.

"I know that you love Michele. When I saw you two together, it made me happy to see you so happy. Oh and Jason, she loves you so much. As far as she was concerned, the sun rose and set on you. She must've seen a part of you that wasn't visible to the rest of the world. And what surprises me the most is that she thought that you were smart. Do you want to see?"

I closed my eyes and showed him what I saw when she looked at him.

His thumb flinched.

I sat up and squeezed his hand tighter.

"Jason? Did you see it? Can you hear me?"

Nothing.

I scanned my mind for more and then I saw it. I knew what would get my brother going.

"And your daughters," I started. "They are wonderful. Adele looks exactly like you and Sookie looks like Michele. They have the most beautiful eyes and they have the souls of our people. They're going to lead charmed and long lives. Jason, I need to tell you something. You and Michele have done a wonderful job with them. They're grounded and smart. They're proud of who they are and what they can do. When I watched you with them, I wished that I had a father like you. I wouldn't have been ashamed of who I am and what I can do. It wouldn't have taken me five years to realize that there's nothing wrong with me. You're a great father, Jason. They need you."

I suddenly gasped. I had to use my free hand to take hold of my chest. Jason was giving me every memory he's ever had of his children. Their birth. Their birthday parties. They never crawled. They walked. Their first word wasn't da-da. It was daddy. Their first day of school. Easters. Halloweens. Thanksgivings. Christmases. He gave all of his memories to me.

His left eye opened.

Still gripping Jason's hand, I jumped up from the chair and gently touched his forehead.

"Jason," I smiled.

He spoke to me in my mind. _Take care of my girls; you and Eric._

"Jason," I whispered. "I'm going to save you."

His eye stared lovingly and sadly at me. He was trying to tell me a truth that I didn't want to accept. There is no saving him.

_Let me go._

I shook my head and talked through tears. "I don't have to let you go. That's the thing, Jason. I can save you."

Fuck those BVA! If I could have brought Eric here, he could have turned Jason for me. My eyes suddenly widened. I got down on one knee and said, "Hold on for me, Jason. I can call a vampire that I know. She'll turn you. You can live with us and no one will know that you were turned until later on. You won't have to die. You can take of your daughters yourself."

_You have to let me go. It's meant to be._

"But I love you."

_I know and I love you, Sookie. I've always loved you._

"Please, Jason. Don't go. You don't have to go."

The tears in my eyes were making it harder and harder to see him. He was almost a complete blur.

His eye blinked once more before closing.

I began sobbing loudly.

I squeezed my eyes closed in hopes that I could get something else from him. I got nothing. No memory. No sound. Only peace.

The beeping slowed.

"Jason!" I yelled. I placed his hand to my mouth and continued to pray. Nothing happened.

His eye no longer blinked rapidly.

"Jason! Don't do this!" I gripped his shoulders and began trying to shake him awake. Again, nothing happened.

The sucking noise stopped.

"Please," I whimpered.

The beeping stopped.

"I love you."

I kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed with him. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. I leaned in and kissed his covered cheek for the last time.

"I love you."

There's no Papa Earl.

There's no Gran.

There's no mama and daddy.

There's just me.

My brother is gone.

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><p><strong>For those of you that sent me private messages begging me not to kill Jason, I am sorry. It had to happen this way. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think. <strong>


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter 77**

**I Remember You**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. And I am so appreciative and happy about the new readers that have gotten on board. Everyone is so wonderful and so supportive. Thank you for the alerts and the favorites. I appreciate each and every one of you.**

**As always, the characters belong to CH but the story idea is mine.**

* * *

><p>When I opened the front door, the BVA van was parked in the driveway to our home. Instantly, my fangs dropped into place but I was in for a surprise. Russell and Bart got out of the front of the van. Bill Compton emerged from the back.<p>

When they reached the door, Russell said, "Did you know that there was a BVA van sitting outside of the gates of your little community?" Russell was smiling broadly. "They were just sitting there; waiting. If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were waiting on you. They were looking in this direction." He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it? They're as dead as doornails. I guess we should have asked them what they wanted."

Bart looked at Russell as if the thought had never occurred to him. "Maybe you are right."

My lover has saved my life once again. She knew that they were waiting on us and what would be in store for us if we'd gone to the hospital together. They were going to take me and more than likely than not, they would have killed her. Or at least, they would have tried. Sookie knew that the visiting vampires would take care of the waiting BVA members.

"Maybe," Russell stated. "Billy Boy, you were right in telling us that we needed to come to your king's lair this evening. You will make a great monarch one day."

"Thank you, your majesty." Bill bowed but his face remained as cool as ever when Russell complimented him. The twinkle in his eyes told me that he more than enjoyed it.

Russell looked at me and asked, "Well, are you going to invite us in or what? I do hate it so when I have to be invited in the home of a fellow vampire. I am a king for goodness sakes but what can I say? You are a king and it does make sense that a vampire of your stature has put your home in the name of your human. I think that I'm going to make it an edict in my area that all vampires do that from now on regardless of their status."

"That is an excellent idea, dear heart," Bart exclaimed. "What do you think Billy Boy?"

Bill said, "It'll keep more vampires from being attacked by our own kind."

"So it is," Russell exclaimed. "We will send out the word first thing tomorrow night. So, Eric, can we come in or what? I'm sure you don't want to do this on the front porch." He leaned in and whispered, "No privacy at all."

"Come in and follow me," I said.

Since they've been to my house before, though not this particular house, they know to remove their shoes. Once done, I led the vampires through the foyer and past the living room and into the study. It's the most embarrassing room in the house. If she has seen it, I hope that Sookie has decided to redecorate it. It's absolutely hideous but it will have to do for now. It is perfect for the company that I am keeping tonight.

As we walked down the hall, Russell closed his eyes and inhaled. He looked at me and said, "Your home smells absolutely divine. Whatever is that delicate yet intoxicating scent?"

"Air freshener," I answered simply yet firmly. "It's something new that the housekeeper purchased."

Nothing else was said about the smell of our home when we reached the study. It was all but forgotten. Russell was completely taken by the flamboyance and the gaudiness of it. He spread his body over the purple velvet settee and sighed. He threw one arm across his forehead and the other over the back of the settee.

"Heavenly," he purred.

I shook my head as I watched him. Russell Edgington has always had a flare for the dramatics.

"Absolutely divine, my lovely. Bart, my love, I have been telling you for months that we need a parlor. This is what a proper parlor is supposed to look like. This is just absolutely precious. I am totally in love with your parlor, Eric. Absolutely, divine." Russell delicately traced his finger over the ugly purple velvet.

"Study," I corrected. "It's not a parlor. It's a study."

Russell laughed at me. "Dear, boy, you are very young. How old are you; thousand, fifteen hundred years old? It's not a study. It's a parlor. A study is stiff and uncomfortable. A parlor is fetching and it sparkles. This room is so delicious ...so divine. It feels like pizzazz and has the look of Studio 54 on gay night ...fabulous. Well, every night was gay night but you get my meaning. I can only assume that your lovely wife decorated this room."

"Not at all," I stated. "My wife has impeccable taste. I find this living space to be rather crass and unappealing as would she. My progeny is the cause of this travesty. I think it's revenge for making her dress up as a cartoon vampire during her working hours at Fangtasia."

"Well, you let your dear progeny know that I love her decorating skills and I am so in love with her style. Please, will you have her call me? I would love to use her. I will pay her handsomely."

"Pam will be so pleased," I answered. And she would be. To have a monarch want her to decorate a room in his house, she will be above the moon.

Russell had the dreamiest look on his face. I looked around the room with the hopes of seeing what he sees. The plush black carpet and the black velvet curtains made him grasp at his unbeating heart. It made me want to poke my eyes out. The purple velvet settee and the red velvet couches brought bloody tears to his eyes. A pink velvet ottoman sat alone in the corner. If I'd been human, I would've thrown up. The only beautiful things about the room are the mahogany writing table with hand carved inlays and the tops of the walls with the mahogany crown molding. The bottoms of the walls are bordered with mahogany wainscoting. The red satin wallpaper is beautiful but the velvet furniture and draperies left much to be desired.

"I question your taste, Russell, but if you'd like, you can have every piece of velvet furniture in this room. That includes the draperies."

Russell blurred to where I was standing and asked, "You are not playing with me, are you? If you are serious about this, I will have my day people retrieve these fine pieces for me first thing in the morning."

"It is yours."

Russell squealed and clapped his hands with the delight of a little girl. Within seconds, he was calling his day people and telling them to come to our home to retrieve his gifts. Before he gave them a time, he looked to me and asked, "What will be a good time for your dearest one? Morning or evening?"

With everything that's going on with Sookie, I didn't want to put this on her. She is going to have to plan Jason and Michele's funeral. She is going to have to get things straight with the girls. "There's no need in waiting until tomorrow. Take the things with you tonight. You have Bill and Bart with you and you have a BVA van."

"Take it out now," he ordered the two vampires. "Take all of it but the settee. We can get that when we leave. Oh, and leave a seat for the both of you."

Bill and Bart did and Russell ordered. They moved with precision and quickness. When they took the draperies, they took the rods too. Russell slowly made his dramatic way back to the settee and said, "This has been an all around good night thus far." He looked like a damsel in distress with a hormone problem.

When they returned, I offered Bill and Bart a seat in the black velvet wingback chairs while I seated myself behind the writing table. I looked out at my visitors. Bill and Bart were ready to get on with the reason for their visit. Russell remained relaxed and the queen of the night. He was too busy enjoying himself so I decided that Bart, Bill, and I would proceed without him.

"So, I can only assume that you are here because of the BVA issue. Are we now going to put our plan in motion?"

"Yes," Bart answered. "But there are a few things that our Mr. Compton has to tell you."

Bill unnecessarily cleared his throat and said, "Sam and I captured the shooter. The others were killed; the humans that came with the shooter and the other vampires that were with us. The now dead shooters came well armed. The ones that were captured had silver arrows, stakes, and bullets. She had regular human bullets."

It's not possible that they knew that the vampires were there. "How did they know that vampires would be at the Stackhouse home? They couldn't have been there after I caught the humans in the woods. I caught no other scents. There had to have been one that I missed or either it was done when they saw me and Sookie at Jason's house."

Russell finally decided to join us. "That's what we're thinking. They had to have been following you. The wards on your house differ from the ones that are on the Stackhouse home. My witch, he told me that the wards on the Stackhouse home are only meant to protect within a specific radius of the house. A sniper, like our prisoner, didn't need to approach the property to kill them. She just needed to be one helluva shot."

I frowned at his words. "They said that specific wards had been placed on their home and on them. Why didn't the wards deter the bullets?"

"The wards are meant to deter people. Who thinks to put wards on weapons?" Russell asked. "Brighton, my witch, said that if they'd been inside, they more than likely would have survived."

"Fuck," I whispered. My thoughts are only of getting our wards redone. I'm not taking any chances when it comes to the safety of my family.

"Where is your witch, Russell?" I asked.

"He's still at the Stackhouse home. He and a few of his coven members are putting an ectoplasmic reconstruction spell on the property and the surrounding areas. I've requested that they find out how and when this was done." In a southern drawl only attributed to Russell, he asked, "That's the least that I can do after all that your wife has done for our kind. I owe her that."

"And much more," Bart added. "She is the best thing to have happened to our race. I for one am glad that she's on our side."

"We thank you. Now, about the shooter; what has she said? Compton?"

Bart's baritone laughter filled the room. He didn't give Bill a chance to say anything. "Compton has the woman in the most compromising position. He has this device in his basement that surely came from the 14th century and she's …how do you say …secured to it? He has made her tell secrets that we never even had to ask for. You should see it. I'm thinking of getting one for the slave quarters. It's quite fetching."

"Bill," I coaxed. "Why did they go to Jason's house?"

"For you and Sookie," he answered. "A FoTSs member is a parent at the school that Jason's children go to. They saw you two at the school play. The parent reported back that you and Sookie were with Jason. They weren't supposed to kill them. They wanted their vampire connections. They missed their chance. Jason and Michele were pawns. They were being used to get you and Sookie to return to the house …for the children. They were going to take all of you. Your humans were going to be used to get you to do what they wanted you to do."

"Simple, huh?" Russell asked.

"Simple, indeed," I agreed.

"They know that you are a powerful vampire. They want to make an example of you. They know that you are old and if they get you, they believe that others will succumb to them." Bill's face remained stoic.

"Hmmm," I pondered.

"They've seen you with the blonde woman, Jason's sister. She's always with you and they are going to try and get to her to get to you," Bill said. "The woman said that it peaks their interest that she is always at your side. They've never seen any other vampires act as you do when you are with her. They see her as your weakness. They want to destroy your weakness."

Anger rolled through me.

Bill's face was no longer made of stone. His cool brown eyes were now filled with life. "She will be caught in the crossfire, your majesty. Have you thought of sending her to her kin in order to keep her safe until things have died down? If you send her to her kin, they won't know where she is or where to find her or anyone else associated with the Stackhouse name. They'll be safe. Everyone will be safe."

I hope that he wasn't suggesting that I send my family away because that isn't going to happen. I cocked my eyebrow at Bill and asked, "Are you out of your fucking mind? I'm not sending them anywhere."

"We have to protect her, protect them. She's only just returned to …"

"She's my wife. Nothing is going to happen to her. And Bill?" I said as I stood tall. I walked around the writing table and looked down at him.

Looking straight ahead, Bill answered. "Yes, your majesty."

"Look at me. You need to look at me so I can see that you clearly understand the meaning behind my words."

Bill's formerly cool brown eyes were blazing and filled with anger but he knew better than to argue. "I'm looking at you, sir."

"There is no 'we' when it comes to Sookie. You have no say so in what my wife does and doesn't do. You have no say so in what happens or doesn't happen with my wife. You are not a part of her life. You are my underling until you receive your own kingdom. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal," Bill answered. And he answered with attitude.

"For your sake, Compton, you need to keep clear of my wife."

"I mean her no harm."

Icily, I glared at Bill. "You never mean her any harm."

Bill stood and glared at me. "I've changed. I've atoned for my wrongdoings. She'd forgiven me."

"I haven't."

"My past self no longer exists. I swear to you and to her."

"So says the abuser to the victim's husband."

Bill dropped his fangs on me.

I smiled at him; ready for a fight. I was more than ready to rip his dead head from his shoulders. "Do you want to fight me, Bill?"

He had to make the first move then my promise to Sookie would be null and void.

"I'll gladly relieve you of your misery."

"Yummy," Russell said. "A cat fight over the formerly human girl."

Bart stood in between us. "This is not the time for this and Russell, you stay quiet."

"But I'm only …"

"Enough," he ordered firmly.

For just a minute, Russell took heed to what his husband said.

Looking at me and Bill, Bart said, "We are not here to fight with each other. After we have resolved this issue with the fucking cunts that are trying to annihilate our race, you and Bill kill one another then. Right now, we need to take care of the true enemy and that enemy is not in this room."

Bill and I continued to stare each other down. We were having the same fight we've always had. When it comes to Sookie, we both want to prove that we love her more than the other ever could. When it comes to Sookie, she is the weakness of us both but in the end, she is mine. She will always be mine. If I should ever meet the true death, she will still belong to me. Bart's voice interrupted my musings.

"And you, Russell. Keep your mouth shut about Northman's wife." Bart's harsh words to his husband caused Bill and I stop staring each other down and turn our attentions to the squabbling spouses.

"But dearest…" Russell started.

"But dearest, nothing," Bart interrupted. "You will keep your opinions to yourself."

Bill chuckled as he moved to the other side of the room. I think that is the smartest thing he's done since he's been here. He's thinking of his safety and protecting his undead life. Though I could kill him on any side of the room, I decided to leave him be. I'd already broken one promise to Sookie. There was no need in breaking another.

Russell sat up on the purple velvet settee and said, "I mean no harm. I'm just saying what we all know it to be true. The BVA and the FoTSs idiots don't know it but we know." Knowingly, Russell looked at me and said, "We have the upper hand."

"No," I said.

"She's nothing like she used to be. She is stronger than any human any of us have ever encountered. She's more …she's more …she's just more than any fae we've ever had the pleasure of draining."

I stared at Russell for a long minute. "You're not supposed to remember her. How do you remember her? She was nothing to you but now you want to use her to save our kind."

Russell stood up from the purple velvet settee and said, "I don't know. That night at the club, I had no idea who you were looking for or what got you riled to the point that you were ready to kill but when she saved our kind from that testing site and Bernard told me who she was, every memory that I had of her came to surface; the night that she was staked for Betty Jo and when she killed our dear Lorena." He looked at Bill when he said that. "She's loyal to us, to our kind. She is what we need in order to win this. Without her, we will fail."

"No."

"You could at least ask her if she would like to volunteer."

"No," I repeated. "We are not using her as bait. They will have to kill every vampire in Louisiana before I allow that to happen."

Russell was determined to change my mind. "If you let them take you and your beloved Sookie, we can control the outcome of the broadcast that they are planning. If they can't get to you, they will use someone else and then what? If they use just any random vampire and just any random human, it will be the detriment to us all. We won't know when to prepare. You have to think about this, Eric. Talk to her and see what she has to say."

"No. I will not allow it. I don't care what Sookie thinks about this. The answer is no."

Bart never speaks unless he has something of importance to say. Evidently, he has something important say. "Russell makes sense, Eric. It's not about your love for her or you putting her in danger. It's about keeping you two together. If they are after you, how long do you think it will before they succeed in taking you? I say succeed because in the end, they will. They will come after your wife. They will come for those children. They will do everything in their power to get to her in order to get to you. So Northman, what you have to do is make a decision. It's going to be either her or you. You've lived for over a thousand years. Are you willing to throw that time away for your wife?"

Naturally, it will be me. I am not going to lose her again. I'm not going to let her go anywhere with anyone. No one is going to succeed in taking either of us. If I have to, I will take her and the girls away in order to keep them safe but I can't survive another night without her. We have endured the worst pain and we will endure this but if anyone has to go with the BVA or the FoTSs, it will be me. Sookie has to stay here for her nieces. So whatever plans they have for my wife, they will not come to pass.

"I am."

Bill turned to face Russell and Bart. "Eric and I may not agree on a lot of things but this is one thing that I stand with him on. We can't do that. She has already more than once put her life on the line for us. We can't keep expecting her to do this."

"Thank you, Bill but I don't need or want your support. This is about my wife and it is my decision. We are not going to use her so if that's what you think then you'd better think again. My wife has been returned to me and I refuse to let anything come between us. Do you understand me?" I looked around the room at the vampires and asked the question once more. "You will leave Sookie out of this."

"What's going on, gentlemen? And why are you all talking about me?"

We all turned towards the door and there she stood. Sookie walked into the room fresh faced and looking like the queen that she is. One would never believe that she has suffered a devastating loss. Regardless of what she's gone through, she's not going to let anything get past her; especially when she hears her name.

"It's nothing at all, my lover. We are discussing how you saved the vamps, Weres, and shifters. I was just telling them that you will think better next about putting your life in danger. I wanted them to know that I don't agree with it and I will never condone it."

She looked at the vampires and smiled at them all; including Bill. "He's right. I've promised him that I'd behave myself. It's good to see you all again. It's been quite awhile. How have you been Russell, Bart?"

She remembered them without coaxing!

Even they looked surprised. Bill looked more surprised than anyone. It wasn't hard to recognize what was going through his head. He was wondering how and why she remembered them but not him. She used to be in love with him. They shared their lives together. He was her first vampire. His disappointment more than showed on his sad face.

"We are well, dear one," Bart said. He bowed to Sookie. "We are sorry for the loss of your family members. If there is anything that we can do, please, don't hesitate to ask."

"He died peacefully," she said. She looked at me and her eyes didn't match the pleasant look on her face. My dearest love is devastated. "There's so much that I have to do. I have to make plans for his funeral. I have to call Michele's family to see what they want. I have so much to do tomorrow. If you don't mind, Eric, I would prefer a night time service. I can't do this alone."

"We will be there," Russell said. He spoke up as if she was speaking to him.

She laughed as she turned to face him. "Thank you, Russell. Your support is much appreciated." She returned her gaze to me and said, "Will you be with me?"

I opened my arms to her. "How can you ask me such an insulting question? I would never leave you alone during this time. I'd assumed that it would be a nighttime service anyway. It has never been my intention for you to have to go through this by yourself. I will be with you."

She walked into my arms and released her pain. We stood like that for a few minutes; not caring at all that Russell, Bart, and Bill were watching us. I wanted them to see that I'd meant every word I'd spoken earlier. They were not going to use my wife as bait. If the enemy takes me, then so be it but they will not touch her. If I meet the true death in order to save her life, then what time we've had is more than enough for me. She has to be here for her nieces and the other children. She has a purpose and it is one that she will fulfill.

Sookie stood back and looked at me. Her eyes were filled with more sadness and anger. She didn't say anything but I knew that she'd read my mind. She stepped out of my arms and turned to my guests and asked, "Would you all like something to eat? We have some Royal and some Tru Blood. I can go to the kitchen to get you something to eat."

"Sookie," I said.

She acted as if she didn't hear me as she looked around the room. "This room is hideous. What is with all of this velvet? Pam," she said. "This room reeks of Pam."

"I'm taking the remaining beautiful yet stylish pieces of furniture with me when I go. It's that just wonderful."

Sookie giggled. "Yes. You don't realize how wonderful it really is. Thank you."

"Sookie," I said as I reached for her.

She stepped away from me. "Gentlemen, would you like a blood?"

They knew that something was wrong but said nothing about it. "No thank you," Russell answered.

"Bart? Bill?" she asked.

"No, thank you," they said in unison.

"Mrs. Northman," Russell said.

"Call me Sookie. We are in the company of friends."

Russell smiled broadly. For the second time tonight, he squealed and clapped like the happiest little girl in the world. "I can't believe that I have a faery for a friend and I don't want to drain her. I am definitely going to be a little snobbier than I was before. People will absolutely loathe me."

His comment caused her to giggle.

"There is something that I want to say to you and I think that you have the right to know."

"Russell, don't," Bart and I warned him.

He fanned us off as if we were insects. "I want to thank you for what you've done for our kind. I want to tell you that in that group of vampires that you saved, you saved a very dear friend of mine. I am in your debt and I don't say that to everyone." He looked away for a second and said, "As a matter of fact, I never say that to anyone. But dear girl, whatever you need of me, you will have. I will stand with you and your husband. Now instead of you going to the kitchen to get us a drink, we will be leaving. We have already fed for the evening."

"The BVA van?" she asked.

"Most definitely."

"Thank you, Russell." She turned to Bart and Bill. She thanked them as well.

"No, thank you, Sookie." Russell offered Sookie his hand and asked me, "May I?"

"You may."

Russell Edgington had his first handshake with my wife. "Bart, William, we must take our leave and let this couple be. Grab the furniture." Bart obediently carried the purple velvet settee as his husband ordered.

"Good evening, Sookie," Bill said as he picked up the wingback chairs.

She stared at him for a second and nodded. "Good evening, Bill."

Bart and Bill followed Russell out of the study. Sookie and I followed them all. They put on their shoes and walked in the direction of the BVA van. Bill and Bart put the furniture in the back of the van as Russell got in the passenger's seat. Once they were in the van, they waved their good-byes and drove away.

When Sookie closed the door, she looked at me and said, "Don't say anything to me. I'm mad at you right now so I think it's best that we don't talk until I've calmed down. Is that fair?"

"Yes," I answered.

"I'm so pissed at you."

"I know."

Sookie began walking up the stairs. I stood at the bottom and watched her. She stopped after going halfway and turned to look at me. "What are you waiting for? It'll be dawn before you know it and we have to check in on the children. Bring your ass on here and let's go to bed."

If anyone else had ever talked to me in such a way, I would have killed them. I would have ripped their tongues from their mouths and hung them by their fingernails. No one has ever gotten away with treating me in such a way. And no one other than Sookie ever will. I love her. I will do anything for her. I stared up at her as she waited on me. I shook my head and did as I was told. I followed my wife upstairs. I don't care what Russell and Bart think or what they believe. Sookie is not going to be used as a pawn.

She is mine.


	77. Chapter 77

**I Remember You**

**Thank y'all so much for your reviews, favorites and alerts. I hope that y'all enjoy. And as always, don't hesitate to tell me what you think.**

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><p>"Sookie, we must go. It is time." Eric was standing behind me and staring at my tearful reflection.<p>

I smiled at him as I stood from the vanity seat. When I turned to face him, I smoothed down the front of my basic black dress. He looked very handsome in his black suit. He looked even fiercer and even more powerful than I've ever known for him to look. It tickled me to see him standing before me because we have matching hairdos; french braids. I can't believe he agreed to it. He must really feel sorry for me.

"You look very handsome."

"I am an emptied blood bag compared to you." His beautiful blue eyes were filled with pity. I hate pity.

Instead of laughing at his attempt at a joke, I hung my head and cried. In a flash he had me in his arms. I've always known that people are supposed to die. That has never been a surprise to me. What hurts the most is that almost no one in my family has died in their beds from old age. They don't get the pleasure of dying in their sleep. They're usually murdered because of someone else's bullshit and selfish reasons.

"It's going to be okay," Eric said in a soothing voice. He gently kissed my forehead.

I squeezed him tighter. I need his comfort more than ever and I never wanted to let him go; especially not after I heard his thoughts of possibly turning himself over the BVA in order to save me. We haven't had our talk just yet but he knows that something isn't right with me. I won't let him leave the house without me. I sleep even closer to him than I ever have before. I always want to know where he is and what he's doing. He doesn't say anything. He goes along with it as if it's normal.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," I said into his chest.

"You'd go on and you'd take care of those children. That's what you'd do."

I stood back and looked at him. I expected another joke; not this. I expected him to make me laugh and remember that as long as we are together, we will be okay. We will be able to conquer anything as long as we are together. That's what I expected but it's not what I got.

Before I could say something to him about it, he looked down at his shirt and said, "No makeup. At least my shirt didn't get ruined this time. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. It's kind of sad because this is something that I've learned to accept when you are anywhere near my shirts."

He is right. This is not the time for that conversation. I ran my hands over the lapels of his jacket and straightened his already perfect tie.

"Perfect," I whispered.

"Perfect," he agreed as he traced his finger along my cheek.

"Are the girls ready?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Thanks for bringing Foster from New Orleans. I really like her and she's like family."

"That is not a problem. She has come to be quite handy. The children love her. She assisted in getting the girls ready. Sookie Jr. wanted to wear her white dress. Adele is wearing the navy blue one." Eric's body suddenly stiffened. "I tried to assist Foster in helping with their hair but Adele laughed at me. She and Foster told me to leave the room. They would handle it."

I can only imagine what Adele's hair must have looked like. In his human life, Eric had children but I'm almost positive that he didn't do his daughters' hair. I'll bet Jason didn't have any problems with combing their hair. I'll bet a million dollars to one that they always looked their best after Jason combed their hair. He probably started as soon as they were born into this world.

I let out a long sigh as a tear trickled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away when Eric reached for me.

"I'm okay." I stood tall, with my head held high and said, "We'd better get going. Let's go and get the girls. It's time for them to say good-bye to their mama and daddy.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>The limousine ride to <em>Sweet Home Cemetery<em> was complete torture. The girls sat across from me and Eric. They held each other's hand and never said a word. Eric gently kept my hand in his, resting it securely on his lap. We rode in silence most of the way.

I stared at my nieces as they 'talked' to each other. I could see it in their eyes. I'd catch bits and pieces of what they were saying to one another.

_We're going to be fine. _

_We knew that this was going to happen. _

_They will take care of us; especially Eric_. Sookie Jr. looked at her uncle and smiled. When she saw me looking at her, nodded her head. _He's a good man. I think I'm going to like living with you. _

For the first time today, I didn't feel like crying. I placed my hand to my heart and sent my thanks to her.

It pleased me to see them consoling each other; comforting each other. Their relationship reminded me of the one that Jason and I had when we were younger. It filled my heart with joy to know that the girls had that same type of relationship. I know now that they are going to be more than okay. These girls are going to flourish. Eric and I are going to be sure of that. We were smiling at each other and didn't realize that Eric was watching us.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Adele covered her hand with her mouth and giggled. "I keep forgetting that you aren't like us."

"No, he's not but he's just as good as we are," I said.

"We know that," Adele said. "We just want you to know that we love you, Uncle Eric and we know that you will keep us safe."

"Thank you," he said. He said nothing else. He is tense. He's concerned with us being ambushed at the funeral but he's taken care of everything. Mustapha and Warren will head the Were security team. Pam, Heidi and Indira are in charge of the vampires and there are going to be shifters flying and crawling all around. Russell has sent a glamored human sniper squad to our defense as well. My dear husband has thought of everything.

"I love you," I whispered.

"And I you, my lover," he replied.

The girls giggled and made kissing sounds.

I rolled my eyes and again, they made me smile. Even Eric chuckled a little bit. Needless to say, the joy was short lived.

The limousine stopped and so did my heart. It was almost time for me to say good-bye to my brother. I looked at Eric with pleading eyes; almost begging him to make it stop. To make it all stop. He made the world stop for us once before. Maybe he could do it again. The look in his eyes told me that he couldn't. He would have tried but this was even beyond his control.

The lights along the cemetery pathway, led us to our seats. All of Bon Temps came to say good-bye to my brother and not just the residents of Bon Temps but there are vampires, Weres, and shifters. I recognized so many of them; the humans, the vampires from the testing facility. Weres that had their limbs amputated just to see if they'd grow back. There were sad looking eyes and there were hands to hearts. There were tears and there were feelings of sorrow and they weren't just for Jason. They were there for both of us. I'd never been happier in this town than I am at this very moment.

When Eric, I, and the children were almost at our seats, I saw Velda Cannon. She's the little lady that was in the DGD club with Gran. I almost giggled when I saw her. She was the one that had the unfortunate incident with her adult diapers. That's a entirely different story but there she was. She was standing in front of Jason's closed coffin. She looked like the southern belles of old. She was graceful and beautiful. Her silver hair sat beautifully and neatly on the top of her head in a perfect bun. Her black suit was flawless. And like all southern belles, she had on her pearl earrings and matching necklace. Her appearance was absolutely flawless.

When she saw us, a brilliantly elegant smile was bestowed upon us. "I'm so sorry, Sookie," she said in her authentic southern drawl. Tears were nestled in the wrinkles around her eyes. "Your brother was a good man. Did you know that he used to mow my grass for me every Monday evening when he got off work? His sweet wife used to do my grocery shopping for me when it got harder for me to get around. You come from good stock, girl. Your Gran would have been so proud of you and your brother."

I held her hand and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Mrs. Cannon."

When I stood back and looked at her, she said, "I know that I'm not your grandmother but I'd be honored if you'd let me sit you and your family. In the end, your brother and his wife was all the family that I had in this world."

"I would be so pleased, Mrs. Cannon."

Velda sat down on the opposite side of Eric and the children sat down in the seats that were in between us. Michele's family sat next to me. I offered them my condolences. Her mother was beyond distraught but her father was playing the role of a true, strong southern gentleman. While he had one arm wrapped around his wife's shoulder, I held Michele's father's hand in mine. He needed to be consoled and I was going to do the best that I could.

I was suddenly hit with a burst of jealousy but I looked at Eric with the '_really?_' look. The man is grieving. I was not interested in him and it had nothing to do with being a flirtatious wife. Eric didn't seem to understand. He glared at the man and in order to keep the peace, I released Michele's father's hand and patted him on the shoulder. He looked at me and smiled before he leaned forward and stared at the girls. He blew each of them kisses before returning to the needs of his wife.

When I looked at Eric, he was calm again and all was right with the world. I then noticed that Velda was staring at Eric. She watched him as he interacted with the children. He reached over and smoothed a stray piece of hair behind Adele's ear. He leaned down and fixed Sookie Jr's. sock. He nodded approvingly and turned to the eyes that were staring a hole into the side of his face.

"I'm Velda Cannon. You must be Sookie's husband."

"Not that it's any of your concern, I am," he answered stiffly.

"Eric!" I whispered harshly. "That's rude."

He looked at her and said, "I stand by my previous statement but yes. I am her husband."

Velda didn't seem to be offended at all. As a matter of fact, she smiled. "It's nice to meet you, young man." She looked Eric up and down and said, "You are a very handsome young man. Very handsome, indeed."

If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this seventy year old lady was flirting with my husband. And from the look on Eric's face, she was.

Before I knew it, Eric's nostrils flared and he had the most horrified look on his face. I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. He could smell her excitement for him. My Eric had Velda Cannon's panties in a bunch. The humorous moment was short lived. Pastor Brighton walked up the podium that stood behind Jason and Michele closed coffins.

Eric looked at me. He wanted to be close to me but we needed to keep the girls sandwiched in between us so my wonderful husband did the next best thing. He sent me his love. It was the best feeling in the world but it didn't change what was happening.

My brother is gone.

Adele squeezed my hand and said, "It's okay. He's okay."

I looked down at her and I let the tears fall. She rested her little head on my shoulder and did the best she could to ease my pain.

The pastor asked us all to bow our heads for a prayer. I couldn't do it. I kept my eyes on Jason's coffin. The moon was beaming down on my brother's eternal bed. I was hoping that he would jump out of it and yell that it was all joke; a mean and vicious joke. I would cuss him out and then hug him; never wanting to let him go. We'd then go home because he and his family would move in with us. Eric and I would keep them safe but it didn't happen. Nothing happened. Jason didn't jump out of his coffin. It wasn't a mean and vicious joke. It was real. This is really happening.

"I don't like this at all," I said to no one in particular.

Velda got up from her seat. "Eric, you and the girls need to move down. Let me sit next to Sookie."

In order to keep us together, I let Velda have the seat next to Michele's family. When she sat down, she took my hand in hers. "It's never easy, sweetie," she whispered. "Death is a part of life. It's a journey that we all have to take one way or another. I've out lived my husband and my three sons. I've out lived each of my siblings but as I said before. Death is inevitable. Whether we want to or not, we have to carry on. It never gets easy but we learn to make it. We have to. Their deaths taught me that." She patted my hand as tears fell from her eyes.

This time I rested my head on her shoulder and for the rest of the service, I pretended to be somewhere else, someone else. That hasn't always been easy for me when I attended a funeral of my family members. I know that funerals are never supposed to be pleasant but for me, they were excruciating. I was unable to keep their thoughts out of my head. I remember the comments that I '_heard_' at Gran's funeral. Everyone blamed me because of Bill but now, there are no mean comments. There aren't any accusatory stares. No one is blaming me. I am able to grieve as I should be able to.

My zoning time was over. The moon was beaming down on my brother's coffin as they lowered him into the ground. With Eric standing by their sides, the girls dropped roses in their parents' final resting places. People were walking to and fro offering their condolences. Every now and again, the gatherers would say 'poor girls' or pat them on their heads or shoulders. Amelia was the saddest of all the people that approached us.

"I'm sorry, Sookie. If I'd told you sooner about your past, you would have had more…"

"Don't you do that," I ordered between tears. "Don't you dare blame yourself. You didn't do this."

"But you would have had more time with him. If I had been a better friend, you wouldn't be here at your brother's funeral."

"It wouldn't have mattered. Okay? This is not your fault. You have been the best friend I've ever had. You've always been there for me and my brother. You kept the contact open with him. You made it easier for me to see him again. Okay?"

"Okay."

"No more blaming yourself."

She said okay as she used her handkerchief to dab at her nose. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I have to get everything straight with the girls. I have to go and see Sid Matt Lancaster. He called me the day after …and said that Jason and Michele left a will. I have to be there first thing in the morning to get their final wishes in order."

"Wanna go shopping or out for lunch?" Amelia pointed behind her and said, "Holly and Kennedy want to join us."

I looked at the ladies and waved. They blew kisses at me and touched their hearts. "I'd love to. I'll call you once I leave Sid Matt's office."

"Deal. I'll talk to them and set everything up. You're coming to Merlotte's tonight, right? Everyone's gonna tell Jason stories," she asked.

"I wouldn't miss it but please make sure that the stories are clean stories. His children will be there."

"I will. I promise." Amelia hugged me and said, "I love you, Sookie. If you need me, call me, okay?"

"I have you on speed dial."

When she walked away, Catfish and Hoyt were next. They were like every other man that came before me and my family; stoic and silent. They didn't know what to say other than the generic comments and it was great. It was beautiful. Mustapha and Heidi came together and offered their condolences. Pam, Maxwell Lee, and Indira nodded at us from a distance before fading back into the darkness. Danielle, the nurse from the hospital, came to say good-bye to her first love. She dropped a teddy bear in the ground. I heard in her mind that it was the first gift a man had ever given her. It was meant to keep him in comfort. She blew him a kiss and then walked away.

Pretty soon, Michele's parents were gathered around the girls. I could hear in their minds that they wanted them. They are under the assumption that they are going to get the children. They'd already decided that they would never see me again because of my husband. They didn't want their grandchildren raised by a vampire. Little did they know they didn't have a choice in the matter. I wanted to tell them but something caught my eye.

There was a man standing by a headstone. He crying …or he was pretending to be crying. Every now and again I would catch him glancing at Eric. I then looked to the left of me. Close to the big oak tree there stood a woman. She too, was staring at Eric. They were holding flowers and were pretending to be grieving. They are phonies and they are part of the cowardly faction that killed my brother and his wife. They are the part of the cowardly faction that want to kill my husband.

Adele squeezed my hand and looked up at me. She had a look as if she wanted to say something but she didn't have to. I could see it. She knew them. She'd seen them before. She heard my thoughts and nodded her head. I heard her thoughts. They'd been hanging around their school and Jason's job. They were going to pay and I am going to be certain that they do.

I smiled down at her.

She returned it.

I looked at Eric and asked, "Will you take Sookie Jr. with you to Merlotte's? Adele and I are going to stay here a little longer. I don't want to leave my brother just yet."

Sookie Jr. wasn't happy with being sent away. "I want to stay too! I don't want to be left out."

Eric looked at the little girl and then at me. His face showed no emotion but he knew that something was going on. I knew that it was going to take a lot of convincing to get him to go without us.

"I'll stay here and wait with you. I'm not leaving either of you here alone."

Still holding Adele's hand, I walked over to Eric. I gently placed my hand on his cheek. "We'll be fine, baby. You have security scattered all over the place. No one is going to get near us. We will be safe." I reached up and kissed him. "I just want to do this for my brother. Nothing's going to happen."

The bond was filled with concern. Eric didn't want to go but he finally agreed. He didn't want the security team to keep us safe. He wanted to do it. As long as he's around, he figured that it's his job but relented. He stared deep into my eyes and for the first time ever, it made me uncomfortable. It felt as if he was in my head. It felt as if he could read my mind. For a second there, I could've sworn he did. I couldn't stare at him any longer. I looked down at my feet.

"Look at me, lover."

I had to close my eyes and inhale deeply before I could. I couldn't speak because I knew that if I did, he would know.

"I'm trusting you, Sookie."

"As I trust you."

"I want to stay!" Sookie Jr. exclaimed.

I reached down and stroked her little cheek. "Next time, sweetie," I said. "Next it'll be just you and me. I promise."

She sighed because she knew that there was going to be no leeway. Not now. Sookie Jr. then reached for Eric's hand. "Come on, Uncle Eric. Let's go to Merlotte's. I want to hear the stories that people are going to tell about my daddy."

"Censor," I said to Eric. I hope that Jason's friends realize that his daughters are going to be there and keep it as kid friendly as possible.

He agreed as Sookie Jr. pulled him behind her and began walked them towards the limousine. She didn't give him a chance to say anything. It touched my heart to see that he didn't argue with her. Though he could've stiffened and not moved, he didn't. When they reached the limo, she crawled in first. He looked back at me and stared.

_I'm sorry_, I thought to myself.

"Maxwell Lee," I said.

Within seconds, he was there.

"Do you see those two people over there? The man and the woman?" I asked.

He looked at them and nodded. "Do you want me to kill them?"

"You can't. They have syringes with them and there's silver in them. Whatever vampires come near them, they are going to inject them and then take them. They aren't going to keep you captive anymore. They are going to kill you. They only want Eric. You guys have to stay away."

Maxwell looked at me and asked, "Is that why you sent the master away?"

I nodded. "He's the one they want," I whispered. "They want to take him. I can't let them take him."

The man and woman were looking at us. I waved at them and smiled. They waved back and smiled but quickly looked away.

"Tell every vampire, Were, and shifter here to stay back. It's dangerous for y'all. You'll surely die if you try and take them on. I will keep us safe but I need only for you to stay close and keep an eye on us, okay? Don't come out unless you see that we need your help. Promise me."

"I promise," he said before he blurred away.

When he was gone, I looked down at Adele, I asked, "Do you know that I teach children with special gifts? Special gifts like yours and Sookie Jr.?"

Adele nodded.

"I have a lot of children that I work with. Some of them can move objects with their minds. Some of them can cause the weather to change. I teach them to control their gifts without hurting anyone or bringing attention to themselves. I can teach you. I will teach you."

"I want to learn," she whispered.

"And you will. So will your sister." I kneeled down and gripped her arms. "There are things that we, as faeries, have to do in order to survive. There are lessons that you need to learn in order to survive in this human world. Some humans have an extreme dislike and low tolerance for things that they don't understand. Some of them will do anything in their power to destroy and hurt others. Some of them teach hate, breed hate. With these types of humans, they don't consider the feelings of others. Some of them preach their hate in the name of the Lord. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Wide eyed and excited, Adele nodded happily. "I do. Daddy always said that there are people out there that want to hurt us. He said that we needed to learn to protect ourselves. He said that you and Uncle Eric could teach us to do that."

I stood up and looked down at her. "Your daddy was right."

"He knew because he was a were-panther. He wasn't a real one but he was one. He said that even he needed to protect himself from the hateful people."

I looked up and the man and the woman are now standing closer to where Adele and I are. Polly Blythe and Christopher Barlowe; they work for the FoTSs. Polly was part of the coup that had planned on killing Ferrell, a vampire that I'd once met, with the help of Godfrey. Godfrey was a vampire that hated himself and the things he'd done. He wanted to kill himself and take another vampire with him. I foiled his plan. Polly wasn't happy with that. Since she didn't get to kill Ferrell, she is more than willing to jump at the chance to kill another vampire. _My_ vampire.

Mr. Barlowe hates any and all supes; especially shifters. He squashes bugs and shoots deer in hopes that one of them will turn out to be a shifter. He hasn't been lucky yet in his pursuit of killing one. His claim to fame is that he picketed Merlotte's because a shifter works there. He felt that if he brought attention to the fact that a shifter worked at the bar, he'd drive him or her away. It didn't work. He now wants to be a part of a supernatural killing; any supernatural killing. Well, tonight he still isn't going to get what he wants.

"Can I have the man?"

I looked down and laughed at Adele. "No, darling. You're going to have to learn first. Since this is your first lesson, you must watch okay?"

"But I can do it," she protested.

"I know but …"

"Please," she begged. Those little blue eyes were tugging at my heart but not enough for me to change my mind.

"I'm sorry but the answer is no. This is mine. You haven't come into your powers yet. You don't know how to control yourself. In time, you will learn. But I will let you help me; not physically but mentally. Deal?"

"But I …"

"Deal?" The tone of my voice let her know that either she would accept my offer or I would send her away.

"Okay."

"Your first lesson is simple. In this world, my angel, we are the constant. We will forever grow and learn but we will never change. What I mean is that we are the protectors of those that we love." Sadness suddenly clouded my eyes. I thought of Jason and Michele.

"There are times when we will fail. That's a part of life. It's a part of who we are regardless of what race we are; human, vampire, or fae. We all fail but we never give up. It is our duty. They are our responsibility but there is a catch. No human can know that we exist. Other supes have known for years. We are a part of the supe world. As long as humans know nothing about us, we can keep our loved ones protected. They'll never see us coming."

For the first time since her parents died, Adele began to cry. Sometimes, no matter what is done or said, life isn't always the way we want it to be. She and Sookie Jr. did everything in their power to warn their parents and it did nothing to save them. As I said, some things are beyond our control. My niece has truly learned her first lesson.

"Now," I said as I smoothed down the front of my dress. "Wipe those tears away. Look at the woman and get into her head and only her head. In order to do that, you have to forget about everyone else. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

At first, Adele couldn't decipher the two minds. I could tell from the look on her face. I took her hand in mine and helped to calm her.

"Focus," I said. "You have to focus."

I kneeled down beside her and whispered in her ear. "Clear your mind of all other distractions. You have to focus only on her. Forget about me and the man. For now, you have to forget about your parents. Forget about the supes that are standing in the woods. No one is here but you and Polly. Focus only on her. If you have to, close your eyes and breathe slowly."

I released her hand and watched her.

Adele closed her eyes and scrunched her little face into almost nothing but a nose. Then I could see it. She got it. She was in the woman's head. Her face then smoothed out and she was smiling.

"I can see it Aunt Sookie."

I looked up to see where Polly and Christopher were standing. They were now two tombstones away. I turned my attention back to Adele. The smile was gone. Her eyes were opened and they were no longer blue. They were black as coal.

"What do you see?"

From the look on her face, I knew that she could see the same things I'd seen.

Adele dropped my hand. "They celebrated after they killed mama and daddy. A dark haired man started all of this. He doesn't believe that supes have the same rights as humans. He hates anyone that isn't human. That includes us, Aunt Sookie. She went after my parents because they knew what daddy was and because they ere both associated with other supes. She told them all about daddy. The woman is trying to impress the dark haired man. He's the leader."

The air around Adele began to change. She began to tremble; not from fear but from anger.

"Calm down, baby. You can't let them see what you can do."

Adele closed her eyes and in no time at all, she was calm.

"Good girl," I said. "Do you see anything else?"

"She's the one that found our house."

"Anything else?"

She shook her head no.

"Now, get into her head and talk to her. Tell her to stand behind the big oak tree and to stay there."

She looked at me as if she couldn't.

"You can do it. You do it all of the time with your sister, right? You two speak to each other with your minds all of the time. You can do it now. Go on and try. Remember to stay focused."

It took no time at all. The woman walked behind the oak tree and she stayed there. The man was calling to her as she walked away but she kept walking; just like Adele told her too.

"Release her," I said.

When she did, I took over the woman's mind and held it.

Keeping my eyes on the woman, I then told Adele to get into the man's head. "You're going to do just as you did to the woman."

She had him in no time.

"Keep him there," I ordered. "You have to control him."

"I can do it," she whispered.

When she did it, the man turned his back to the woman. He dropped to his knees and stared at the headstone. He began bawling as if he really knew the person that had been buried there. He gripped the headstone and leaned his head against it as he cried. I was so proud of her. I stroked her little head. Adele is a very fast learner. She's more than willing to accept who she is and what she can do. She understands that we are the protectors of our families.

"Now sweet, sweet girl," I said. "Watch me."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't worry everyone. Sookie may be different but she's not going to have the children running around killing people. That's not her style. I wanted to add this warning because I don't want people sending me nasty messages or reviews. The children will not be scary and murderous children. They won't kill anybody and they won't see Sookie or Eric killing anybody.<strong>


	78. Chapter 78

**I Remember You**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and sticking with this story. I appreciate you all so very much. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. The story is mine but the characters belong to CH. This goes for any past, present, and future chapters that I've forgotten to include the disclaimer with.**

* * *

><p>My vampire associates came through for us tonight. Russell's vampires, Bernard and Augustus, stood guard at the door. Anyone that they didn't recognize from the funeral weren't allowed to come in. They were instantly turned away; though it was few and far between. Everyone that came to the bar knew Jason and Michele. And to no surprise, they were civil to my comrades. They didn't mind that vampires were watching the bar; especially after what happened to my wife's family. They wanted to have a good night. A night without problems or fears; that's what the people of Bon Temps wanted for the children and for Sookie and especially for themselves.<p>

And Sookie had no reason to worry about the Jason stories. His friends kept the gathering respectable because they realized that his daughter is here. Most of the stories that they told about Jason were funny and they had to have been true. No one else could have been that stupid.

The Fortenberry boy told the first story about Jason. He said that Jason never realized that he could suffer from depression even if he wasn't smart. For the longest time, Jason believed that he was suffering from head palpitations and a coma. He said that his dreams had stopped and he couldn't think while he was sleeping.

"That sounds like Jason," one of co-workers shouted.

Another of Jason's friends told a story that was almost as sad as the previous one. His former work mate, the man that they call Catfish, said that Jason was never the brightest light bulb in the lamp.

"This one time, we were cutting down trees and all of a sudden, Jason stood back and looked at the tree real thoughtful like. I asked the boy what he was thinking." The man started laughing. He asked, '_If a tree falls when we ain't here, is it still a tree? Did it really fall?_' I couldn't stop laughing. We had to call it an early day because I couldn't stop laughing."

The man's mood suddenly turned somber. "No matter how simple he was, he always had the best intentions. Jason always had the heart of a good ol' boy." He lifted his drink in the air and, "I love you, Jason."

Everyone in the room mimicked his toast. The words '_I love you, Jason_' was heard from all.

Another person began telling a Jason story. She was the nurse that Sookie was telling me about. Her name is Danielle. If I didn't know any better, I would have believed that she was just as in love with Jason today as she was almost twenty years ago.

"I remember one time when Jason and I were on our tenth date. He told me a secret and said that I can never tell anyone. He said that it would make him look like a pansy and he can't look like no pansy. He's the quarterback for the Bon Temps varsity football team. I promised him that I wouldn't and I never did …until tonight. Today I'm going to reveal his secret."

The girl looked at Sookie Jr. and said, "You'll like this story. Your daddy was a big kid at heart. He wasn't as stupid as everyone made him out to be. I believe that he just saw the world with a different view. It was refreshing and it was nice. Anyway, that night he asked me if I believed in Santa Claus because he does …because he did. I didn't laugh. I just stared at him because I couldn't believe my ears. Here is the most handsome boy I'd ever met in my life, seventeen years old and he's standing here telling me that he believes in Santa Claus."

Sookie Jr. giggled.

"I told him that I wasn't sure but I knew that someone brought Christmas gifts to our house. I wasn't about to tell him that my parents was our Santa Claus." Danielle started laughing. "He told me that when he was eight years old, his Gran told him that he needed to get to bed so that Santa would come. He said that he was excited all night long and that he couldn't sleep. Sookie had gone to bed at least an hour earlier and he was trying but he just couldn't get to sleep. He said that he kept tossing and turning and finally just laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He said that he figured counting the little bumps on the ceiling tiles would make him fall asleep faster cause it was boring. It was like doing math. He said that he never got past ten bumps. He kept losing count. Again, I could only stare at him in disbelief. And this is the part that got me."

Sookie Jr.'s eyes began to fill with tears. Obviously, she'd heard the story before. She looked at me and whispered, "He believed in Santa Claus. Mama used to hide the gifts from him and she would put them out as soon he was snoring so that he wouldn't know the truth." She returned her attention back to Danielle.

"Jason said that when he looked out of his bedroom door, there he stood. There stood Santa and he was staring at him. He said that Santa waved his finger at him and then winked. Jason swears …I'm sorry. It's just hard to ... Jason swore that within seconds, he was asleep. Even being that strong and handsome seventeen year old young man, Jason was still a kid at heart."

Danielle looked at Sookie Jr. and smiled. When she told Danielle thank you, the nurse dropped her head and walked away. She slowly walked went to the bar and sat on the barstool and cried.

Sookie Jr. got out of her chair and climbed onto my lap. She rested her head on my chest and listened as the people in the bar continued to tell their special stories about Jason. It was nice. It would have been nicer if Sookie and Adele were here with us to enjoy these memories. I know that Sookie had a few of her own that she'd want to share but she decided to stay at the cemetery and not for the reason she told me. Something was going on that she didn't want me to know about.

I wanted to go back to the cemetery but I couldn't. I couldn't leave Sookie Jr. with just anyone. Pam isn't here. Mustapha isn't here and if anything is wrong, I can't risk the child's safety. She is my responsibility and I will keep her safe. Sookie promised me that she wasn't going to do anything dangerous and I told her that I trust her. And I do but whatever it is that she's doing, I want to be there with her. As I pondered Sookie's possible activities, Sam Merlotte came over to join us.

"Hi, Sidda," he said.

Who?

Sookie Jr. looked up at Sam and laughed. "Hi, Sam. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

Sookie Jr. shrugged her shoulders and said, "Good I guess. Are you turning into a dog tonight?"

Sam laughed and said, "Not tonight, sweetie." He ruffled he hair and then asked me if he could join us. "But only if you don't mind."

I pointed to the chair.

Once seated, he said, "I'm sorry about last night. We did all that we could but it wasn't enough."

"That's all we can do," I replied.

Sookie Jr. returned her head to my chest and closed her eyes.

Sam looked nervous. He looked as if there was something that he wanted to say but wasn't quite sure if he should say it. I knew what it was. It was the question that all of the supes that knew her before she left wanted to ask. What is up with Sookie? Where has she been? Why doesn't she remember me?

"I see that the girls made it safely to your house. Did they tell you that Bill sent them there?"

"Yes."

"Have you heard from Alcide?"

"Only in an email," I replied.

"He's in Tennessee doing a job," Sam replied.

"Okay."

"He wanted to be here but ..."

"He's not obligated to be here. It is fine."

"Yeah," Sam said as he nodded. He then swallowed and asked, "How's Sookie?"

"She's fine."

Sam ran his fingers through his hair and said, "Good. That's good. I didn't get to see her at the funeral. I had to leave early so that I could get this place ready for tonight, ya know? I wanted everything to be ready."

"I know."

"I heard that she came to the bar a few days ago. I was out of town and didn't get to see her. I had to visit with my family."

I only stared at him.

Sam rested his arm on the table and leaned towards me. "Eric, would you answer something for me?"

"If I can."

"Does she, huh …does she remember me? I mean …I know that she forgave me for what I did when she first left. I'm, huh, just wondering if she remembers me."

Since her return, she hasn't mentioned the shifter. She didn't seem to remember his name the night I told Jason and Michele that he and Bill would be guarding their house. She hasn't mentioned the name Sam to me since her return and as far as I know he's the only Sam that she knows or has ever known. I could only answer him truthfully.

"She hasn't said anything about you to me; not since she's returned home."

Sam looked hurt by that revelation but because he's more than likely heard the rumors about her, he understands that it will take some time for her to remember him. He understands the way of the fae. He also realizes that Sookie has always been a strong and determined woman but now even more so. She'll learn what she needs to know in her own time. No one is going to rush her.

"Do you know where she's been all this time?"

I gave him a blank stare.

"Okay, it's none of my business. I get it." He looked as if he was still waiting for me to answer his question.

I continued to stare at him.

"Will she be here tonight?" Sam asked as looked around the bar for her.

"Yes," I replied. "She and Adele wanted to spend a little more time with Jason."

He nodded as if he understood. Sam then smacked the table and stood up. Before he walked away, he said, "I never really apologized to you."

"No, you didn't."

"You didn't deserve the treatment that I gave to you."

"I did not."

"Jealous," was all that he said.

"Extremely."

"The things that I've done for you, they're my way of apologizing. I figured that would be okay but it's not. That's not good enough. I apologize," he said simply.

"Accepted," I said.

There was nothing more to say so Sam nodded and walked away.. He has paid for his slight against me but he knows that if he ever so much as brushes against my wife, the apology will be null and void and he will be dead. There is no excuse for the way he talked to her; calling her stupid and saying that she must be as crazy as the people in Bon Temps say she is. If he ever manhandles her again, he will become the bear skin rug that I've always wanted.

Sookie Jr. looked up at me and laughed. She whispered and said, "He won't be a bear skin rug if you kill him. He'll just a dead shifter on the floor."

I threw my head back and laughed.

"My mama and daddy liked him. He's always been nice to us. His colors are nice. He's not all bad. His mind is like everyone else's; except for yours. Yours is different. You're not like other vampires. Your thoughts aren't black. Yours are quiet and peaceful. Has it always been like that?"

"No and don't say that in public again. Any other vampire would try and kill you if they knew that you could get into the minds of vampires."

"You wouldn't let them but okay. I'll stop." She reached up and kissed my cheek before placing her head back to my silent chest. I placed my hand on her head and held her in my arms.

When I looked up, we were being watched. I almost felt uncomfortable with the way the humans were watching me with her. Out of pure instinct, I held her closer to my body and my fangs snapped into place. They quickly turned away but not Amelia. The witch looked at me and sneered. She mouthed the word _softy_ and smiled.

As she looked around the room, she loudly proclaimed, "Don't be afraid of this big teddy bear, ya'll. He's just protecting her."

Looking at me, she said, "Nobody's going to hurt her, Eric. You're among friends and family here." She winked at me and turned away.

When she said that, some of the patrons agreed with her. They said that I belonged. I am always welcomed in Bon Temps. In Bon Temps, I have a home. I loosened my protective hold and retracted my fangs. I looked down at the little girl and realized that this is all new to me. In over a thousand years, I've never wanted to take care of children. They were no more than a snack pack but now I want to protect them. Adele and Sookie Jr. are mine. I kissed the top of her head and for the first time tonight, I relaxed.

Suddenly a blur was coming through the door of the bar. It was Pam and she was smiling. She stood in front of my table and smiled. Everything and everyone in the bar stopped talking. They stopped laughing. They waited for whatever it is that Pam had to say.

"Turn on the fucking television!" she yelled at the barkeep.

The guy reached under the bar and grabbed the remote and pointed it at the TV.

"Turn to channel 8!" She frowned when she saw Sookie Jr. sitting on my lap but shrugged it off and said, "You need to see this!"

Pam stood close to me and Sookie Jr. and that's when the little girl held Pam's hand and stared at the T.V. Pam didn't jerk her hand away from the girl either. She didn't even look down at her. She kept staring at the television.

_This is a news bulletin from the local Fox WGHP 8 News._

A woman appeared on the screen.

_This is Ryanne Salazar with Fox WGHP 8 News. What you are about to hear is an exclusive with our news station. We're here at Sweet Home Cemetery. We are witness to an extraordinary event. A few nights ago, Jason and Michele Stackhouse were murdered outside of their home. Reports are saying that the young married couple was enjoying a night out by their pond when they were gunned down in cold blood as their children slept only a few feet away. _

_Well tonight, we received a call from Mrs. Polly Blythe. She wanted us to meet her here at the cemetery because she wanted to give an exclusive interview. Unfortunately, the police officers arrived first and stopped it because the murder of Jason and Michele Stackhouse is an ongoing investigation. _

_Before the police arrived, Ms. Blythe did give us a statement. She said that she could no longer live with the guilt of taking the lives of the Jason and Michele Stackhouse. She confessed that she and Christopher Barlowe are behind the murders of the young married couple. _

Pictures of Polly Blythe and Christopher Barlowe flashed across the screen. Cheers erupted from the crowd in the bar. Sookie Jr. was no longer sitting in my lap. She was standing with Pam and she was intently watching the television. I was soon standing close to her trying to see what she was watching but I could not see it. Whatever it was, it made her beyond happy. She was almost jumping up and down. When she noticed that I was standing beside her, she looked up at me and grabbed my hand. Her eyes went back to the television screen.

_According to my police source, Ms. Blythe called the police station and admitted to what she and Christopher Barlowe had done. She told the cops that they were at the Sweet Home Cemetery and that they were on another mission; a mission that had to be completed tonight._

Ryanne Salazar placed her hand to her earpiece and her eyes were suddenly wider than they should have been.

_Are you fucking kidding me? _she asked.

_We're live, Ryanne! You can't say that on live T.V._

She looked in the camera after she realized what she'd done. She didn't really care. She was giddy with anticipation. She would have said fuck a million more times if it meant that she was the only one reporting an exclusive story.

_Forgive me, people but we have just learned from a source with the police force that Polly Blythe states that she and her cohort were following the orders of Steve Newlin. That's right, everyone. She claims that they were following the orders of Reverend Steve Newlin. _

Ryanne smile broadly.

_Yes, you heard me correctly. God fearing, holier than thou Reverend Steve Fucking Newlin ordered the hit on the married couple; the parents of two young children. His selfish act of violence has left the Stackhouse children orphaned. _

_Ryanne!_

_Sorry folks. When the police asked Ms. Blythe why they killed the Stackhouses, she said that they were trying to get to a …_

Ryanne flips through her notepad.

_They wanted to kill him because Jason Stackhouse could get them what they wanted; especially since he was a member of the supernatural community. They have very strong connections within in the supernatural world and because of these connections, Newlin and another man named Andrew McGriff sent them on the mission of death. She wouldn't reveal Newlin's or McGriff's location but she said that she has proof that they ordered the hit on the Stackhouse family. _

Ryanne's hand went back to her earpiece. Her eyes were as wide as they were before.

_Are you fucking serious? _

_Ryanne you have to stop saying fuck. We're live!_

_They'll get over it. This shit is good! Don't you realize how good this is? We are the only ones to get the scooped. For the first fucking time, we're not getting scooped! Get this. There is another woman that's supposedly involved with the conspiracy. Her initials are CH and she is out to destroy the union of a human and vampire. Somehow all of this is connected with the deaths of the Stackhouses. I promise you, viewers, that as soon as we find out I will definitely keep you posted on this CH._

Ryanne looked directly into the camera and smiled.

_Blythe and Barlowe were at the Sweet Home Cemetery in order to kidnap the children of Jason and Michele Stackhouse. They wanted to use them as leverage. We haven't learned why or what's going on but as soon as we do, we will keep you all posted. I'm Ryanne Salazar with Fox WGHP 8 News._

She and whoever was on the other end of the earpiece were bickering back and forth. The word fuck was said several more times before the mic was shut off.

Before I could ask Pam what happened, she was dragging us back to our table.

Speaking in a voice that only a vampire can hear, she said, "We were out in the woods. Maxwell Lee told us that Sookie wanted us to keep watch over her and the kid. Indira and I were going to come for you but Maxwell Lee said that you couldn't come. She needed to keep us in the woods and you out of the cemetery. They were going to kill us all, Eric, in order to get to you. Do you want to know the most fascinating part of the entire thing? Sookie was teaching the girl to use her gifts and she was fucking amazing. The kid was fanfuckingtastic."

Sookie Jr.'s mouth fell open from surprise. I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of what she learned about her sister. Pam knew what the girl was shocked about too because she looked at her rolled her eyes as she continued telling me her story.

"And the woman didn't call the news stations. Sookie did. She even told us where to find the ones that came with two idiots. Get this, Eric. Sookie's voice was no longer her voice. She sounded just like the human Polly Blythe when she took the woman's walkie talkie and gave orders to the ones that came with her and the man. She told them that '_the corpse and the vamp humper are gone We're on our way to you'_. That's when we were able to kill the waiting vermin. There were two van loads of them and they were ready to kill us just to get to you and Sookie." Pam raised her eyebrows at me and nodded.

Just as Pam finished telling me what happened, Sookie and Adele walked through the doors of the bar. Everyone tried crowding around them at once just so they could tell her what happened. She played along with them and pretended that she didn't have a clue to what they were talking about.

"Is that why there were police at the cemetery …and the news cameras?" she added as an afterthought. She looked down at Adele and said, "I'm glad we were gone by then."

"Me too," Adele said.

When she looked at me, everything that I needed to know what written on her face. I couldn't be angry with her. She'd kept her promise to me. She didn't do anything dangerous. She and Adele were safe and her brother and his wife's killers were behind bars. Our possible kidnappers were gone and all was safe. Sookie's eyes were filled with joy and her smile was brighter than it's been in quite awhile.

When she walked over to me, I took little Adele's hand and gave it to Pam. Sookie and I needed to talk. "Guard these girls with your life."

"Done," Pam said. She looked down at them and showed them fang.

"Be good for Aunt Pam, okay?" Sookie asked them.

The girls looked at Pam and then at each other and giggled. They didn't say anything verbally so I knew that they were talking about Pam in their minds. Pam didn't know it but she knew that something was going on. She looked almost fascinated. Sookie and I needed to talk but this was fascinating. I couldn't resist watching Pam with the girls.

"What the fuck are you two doing?"

Adele's hand flew to her mouth. Sookie Jr. closed her eyes and shook her head. Speaking in unison, both girls said to Pam, "You said an ugly word."

Sookie Jr. said, "Twice she's said bad words."

"Doing is not an ugly word," Pam retorted.

"You know what you said," Adele said.

Pam was grinning broadly. Fangs still in full view.

"Dirty mouth," Sookie Jr. whispered.

"Shut up," Pam ordered. "I didn't say any ugly ass words. They're not even gone yet and you're already getting on my fucking nerves."

"Ahhh, ahhh," they sang.

"This time you said two ugly words in two sentences," Sookie Jr. said.

"Uncle Eric," Adele said. "Pam said one ugly word in one sentence and then two ugly words in the two more sentences."

"You little rat ass tattle tales," Pam scolded.

"No, we're not."

"Yes, you are."

"Pam, leave the children alone," I ordered.

"I haven't done anything to them ...yet."

Sookie Jr. laughed at her. Adele stuck her tongue out at her. My wife giggled.

When I looked Sookie, she looked so happy. I'd never seen her look so happy. I smiled as I stared at her. She looked at me and moved in closer to my body and wrapped her arm around my waist. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to love her. I wanted to …

"I apologize, master. I meant no harm." Though she was looking at the girls she was speaking to me.

"You got in trouble," Adele whispered.

"Leave Aunt Pam alone, girls," Sookie said. "She's really very nice once you get to know her."

"I don't care if they think I'm nice or not. I don't like kids and I don't like rats. I especially don't like stinking, five year old rats."

"You're bad," Sookie Jr. said.

Pam didn't want to smile but she couldn't help it. "I've never liked children."

"Liar," they said.

"Girls," Sookie reprimanded. "We don't talk like that to adults."

Pam waved Sookie off and said, "It's okay. They suck anyway. What they think doesn't matter. I can only say that after meeting them, I am glad that I never had children in my human life. It's the best decision I've ever made."

"You don't mean it," Adele said. "You can't wait to babysit us. You're our forever babysitter so you'd better get used to us.

Pam's eyes suddenly widened and they looked fearful. Through the bond I could feel her anxiety. She looked at me and begged me with her eyes to tell me that they are joking.

"That's not true, is it? Tell me that it isn't true."

I couldn't say no because there will be times when Sookie and I will need Pam's babysitting services.

"Pam, we won't discuss this right now."

The girls looked each other and then at Pam. "It's true."

"But I can't babysit. I've never had to …"

"Not now, Pam."

Sookie walked over to the girls and kneeled down in front of them. "Don't tease, Pam. She's going to be a very good babysitter. You girls can help her out by teaching her."

"Okay," they said. The looks on their faces when they looked at Pam, frightened even me.

When Sookie stood up, I offered her my hand. She willingly took it. We needed to talk and it is going to happen now.

"We'll be back."

I didn't wait for Pam to respond. I led Sookie to the dark and wooded parking lot just outside of Merlotte's. The night sky had the looks of a brewing storm; fitting for the night's activities.

"Before you say one thing to me, there's something that I have to say to you," she started.

I know what she's going to say. I know exactly what's going on with her. I've known since the night of Jason's death. It's about the meeting that I had with Russell and Bart. It's been two days. It's the reason for her clinginess. It's the reason for her need to keep close to me. It's the reason for her sudden fear and insecurity.

"I can't and won't lose you, Eric. I never meant to hurt you or cause you pain. I know that what I did to you when I left was wrong but I won't ever do that to you again. I didn't know that I would have to die in order for us to have happiness. If I'd known, I wouldn't have left you."

"I know, lover."

Tears began falling from her eyes. "I know that I said I'd never invade your ...you know." She looked at my head and then at me.

"I know."

"But that night, I knew that something was wrong. I could feel your pain and I couldn't help it. You didn't tell me the truth about why you were talking about me with the others. I had to know. When I saw that you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me, it scared me."

I stared at her.

"I know that I was wrong for … you know, doing what I did and there's no excuse but after I realized what you'd planned on doing, I couldn't breathe. My world suddenly came to an end. I'd never known pain like that. Not even my brother's death compared to what I felt when I thought of you dying. It was a pain that I never fully understood until that night. The agony and the mere thought of losing you is unfathomable. I won't live through it. I can't live through it."

"I have no plans of leaving you or dying," I told her. "But if it comes down to it, I will be the chosen one."

She held my hand tighter as she looked into my eyes. "No. That is not an option. I know that life is supposed to end but I've never imagined that it would end for us. I could actually see your death, Eric. I saw them stake you. I was covered in your blood. I don't want to go through that. I can't go through this life without you. You are keep me here. This life isn't supposed to happen without you. I've always envisioned us living a satisfying and long life. I want us to sit on our porch swing or in the gazebo…under the moonlight; me drinking a gin and tonic and you drinking a glass of my blood. My plan is for us to make love every night …share our life and our dreams. My entire life's happiness is wrapped up in you."

The very idea of making love to her, sharing with her, and drinking from her caused my fangs to descend. It was the sweetest vision I'd ever had the privilege of seeing. I pulled her closer to my body and looked into her eyes as she professed her undying love for me.

"I want to sit on our porch swing and look over at the man that I love. I want to see the little crinkles that appear in the corners of your eyes when you smile at me or hear a silly joke that I tell. I want to hear you laugh even though the joke isn't half as funny as you make it out to be. Every night, I want to wake up and see you next to me. I want to see the crinkles in the corners of your eyes. That's all I'll need to be happy. Those crinkles will be our proof that we've led a happy and long life."

"That's your plan for us?"

"That's always been my plan for us."

It is a beautiful plan. Kissing her nose, I said, "We'll listen to the sounds of the crickets and smell the honeysuckles as they saturate the night air. We'll listen to sounds of the birds as they sing their nightly lullabies. We'll dance under the moonlight. We'll always be. As they grow older, our children will regale us with the stories of their friends and what they've done that day in school. We'll be their for first dates and drive them to college. We'll be there for their weddings and children."

"Yeah." Sookie's nodded as her eyes filled with tears. "Our children," she whispered.

With pleading eyes, Sookie looked at me longingly. "We don't have to decide whether it's going to be you or me. We've fought for too long and too hard to stay together to let anyone tear us apart. We're way too young to die."

I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Who cares if you're over a thousand years old? That doesn't matter to me. There's so much that we haven't done together. There's so much that we haven't seen together. You can't make decisions on when you're going to die. I've already made that mistake and I don't want to miss another day at your side. This is our new beginning. This is our chance."

Her lovely blue eyes beheld me with pure, unadulterated lover. My Sookie is the picture of perfection to me with her heart of sincerity and her soul of love. Her need for our happiness was the only thing that mattered.

"It's going to be okay, baby. We're going to be okay."

"My lover, my every waking moment is of you, protecting you. I need to love you. The reason behind my decision is that I cannot and will not go another day without you. Five years was torture. One more night will be the end of me. So, if the choice has to be made, it has to be me."

She had to understand. If they take her and kill her, I will surely have my revenge and meet the true death soon thereafter. Without Sookie, there is no me.

"It will not be you. Without you Eric, there is no me. Can't you see that?" she cried. As she stepped away from me and said, "It's supposed to be you and me. We're the new and improved Romeo and Juliet. I'm your girl, remember?"

The night at the waterfall; her arms were wrapped around my neck. She was looking into my eyes.

"You're my girl," I whispered.

"Yes and you're my guy."

"Yes."

"No more talk about you giving yourself to them?"

"No more."

She stepped back into my arms and fiddled with the lapels of my jacket. "I've got something to tell you."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," she said. "I've got something for you."

"What?"

She reached into her little black purse and pulled out a cell phone. She handed it to me.

I looked at the phone and then at her. "I have a phone."

"I know that."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"This is the phone that I had when I was Paola Vasquez. I transferred all of the contacts from Sarah Newlin's phone into this phone. Every contact in this phone belongs to the higher ups with the BVA and the FoTSs."

"And you're just giving this to me? You've had this the entire time and you're just giving it to me?"

"It wasn't meant for you to have it until tonight. Everything happens for a reason. It happens when it's supposed to happen."

I then understood what she meant. Our love. The children. The death of her brother. Everything happens for a reason. This is life. This is our life. This is our future. Our happiness is all that matters in this ugly world. We have to do what we have to do. I looked down at the phone and then at her.

"Shall we plan Bill's coronation as the king of Oklahoma?" I asked.

"Yes, we shall."


	79. Chapter79

**I Remember You**

**I want to thank you all for your time, reviews, favorites, and alerts. I also want to say that the story idea is mine but the characters belong to CH. I'd also like to say that I was going to go back and forth and work on this story and 'A Marriage of Inconvenience?' but I can't do it. My mind is on one story and I don't want to make any mistakes with the story lines. Thank you for understanding and I promise, I will get back to the other story as soon as I can.**

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><p>By 9:00 the girls were bathed and in bed. Eric and I read them their second favorite bedtime story, '<em>Goodnight Moon<em>'. We'd given them their goodnight hugs and kisses. Once the girls were sleeping, Eric and I went about our nightly business. I sat on our bed and made my phone call and Eric went into his office; the room that used to be the nursery just off of our bedroom. He was typing away on his computer and talking on his phone. He was discussing territory business and emailing about Fangtasia business. My husband is not only the king of Louisiana but he's also the king of the multi-taskers.

My only call was to Belinda. "I apologize for calling you so late but there's something that I need for you to do... if you're not busy."

"There's no need for an apology. I wasn't in bed and I'm not doing anything. I'm waiting on my boyfriend to get here. What do you need?" she asked. I could hear her piddling around her house as she talked to me.

"I'm not going to make it in to the office tomorrow. I'll need for you to cancel all of my in office appointments because I have a few things that I have to do. Will you call the parents and let them know that I can do in home visits if they need them?"

"Sure, Sookie. I'll call them and I'll let you know if they need a visit or not," she answered. "How are the girls holding up?"

"They're doing as well as expected. Thank you for asking."

"I know that this may not be a good time, but I have to ask. Will the girls be included with your itinerary from now on? I need to know so that I can set your schedule accordingly."

I sighed as I rested my elbow on my knee and my hand on my head. I could feel Eric's eyes on me. "I have no idea. I have to get them enrolled in school but where? I don't know if I can trust anyone not to hurt them; especially with all that's happened. Did you see the news tonight?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Belinda agreed. "At least they caught the cowards. As far as the kids schooling goes, I can look up some exclusive private schools for you and I'll email you with all that I find. At least that will take a little pressure off of you. How's that?"

"That'll be great," I answered. "You are a godsend, Belinda."

"Don't I know it?" Belinda's tone suddenly changed. "Oh, and back to the workplace. Did you know that they still haven't found Conrad?"

"No," I answered. I tried to sound as if I was just as surprised as she was. "I wonder what's going on with him. Conrad was acting a little strange right before he went missing. He was always creeping around; being sneaky. Maybe he's sneaked around the wrong person. Hmmm. I wonder where he could be. Not that I care," I added.

Eric chuckled.

I ignored him.

"Obviously, no one cares. The gossip is that he was running off somewhere. The word is that the cops got him for a speeding and he was heading out of town. So it might be true."

"What might be true?"

Though she was at home, Belinda started whispering. "From what I've heard, he's been embezzling money and he's on the run. I always thought that he was a little shifty. Good riddance to bad rubbish; that's what I say. Plus with him trying to get rid of you, I'm glad he's gone. We didn't need him anyway. You are the reason he had a job. He'd better be glad that you didn't leave and open your own facility. You could've left a long time ago ...and I would have gone with you. Hell, a lot of us probably would follow you." Belinda suddenly gasped. "Oh, yeah. Remy Savoy said that he needs to see you. He wanted to set up an appointment. Do you want me to call him and tell him that you're doing home visits tomorrow?"

I could feel Eric pause.

"Sure. Let him know that after lunch, I'll come to his house."

The typing and the talking that was going on in the other room suddenly stopped.

"Okay and I'll send you the email on the schools as soon as I find some reputable ones and I'll call the parents. You get some rest and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Belinda. I need all of the help that you can offer. There just aren't enough hours in the day for me to do all that I have to do. You just don't know how much I appreciate you. Well, I'm going to go and take a long, hot bath and relax. Good night."

"Good night. And Sookie?" Belinda began.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry that I didn't get to speak with you at the funeral. You were busy with your family and all. I just want to tell you that if you need me, I'm here."

"Thanks, Belinda."

When we ended the call, Eric was watching me. His face is as emotionless as ever but I can feel his concern for me. He also didn't try to hide his anger at the mention of the name Remy Savoy but he's a vampire. He gets jealous. He'll get over it as soon as he realizes that Remy is no more than a parent to a very gifted child. I gave him a tiny smile as I got up from the bed and went to take my much needed bath. I want to relax. Tomorrow can wait until tomorrow.

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><p><strong>-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-<strong>

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><p>After I'd showered and put on my pink nightie, I made myself a gin and tonic and went outside to enjoy the rainy yet beautiful Louisiana night. The gazebo was the perfect place to do it. I lay on the floral cushions and sipped on my drink. The pattering of the rain sounded beautiful. I placed my drink on the end table as I stood up from my seat and walked to the entryway. The night is as cool and as beautiful as I'd ever seen it. The rain made it perfect.<p>

"At least we made it home before the rain came," I said into the night.

I wrapped my arms around my body and closed my eyes. I tuned everything out as I let the rainy breeze wash over me. My mind is completely clear for the first time tonight. It felt good to have the rain and the breeze clear away my worries even if it was only for a little while. When I opened my eyes, I thought of the many times Jason and I would play in the summer rain when we were kids. It made me laugh. I could almost feel him with me so out in the rain I ran. With my arms wide, I twirled around and around.

"I love you, Jason," I said as the rain camouflaged my tears.

Suddenly, I stopped twirling and talking to my brother. Someone was watching me. I turned my head in the direction of the woods but no one was there. I closed my eyes in order to search for a mind but nothing was there; no void, no colors. There was nothing. I shook it off and decided to twirl around again but slowly. And then I saw it. I saw a shadow in the woods. My breath hitched in my throat when the blur moved to the corner of the house. Instinctively, I wanted to pop away but I didn't. I stood my ground.

"Eric?"

And there he was. My eyes widened as the blur stopped in front of me. I looked up at his face and he was grinning. That smile always sends chills through me. My body responded to him immediately.

"Do you wanna play?" I asked as I caressed his cheek.

His fangs responded to my question.

I popped away to the other side of the yard. Eric was crouched in his fighting position and he was looking around the yard for me.

"Do you want me?" I called out.

He blurred over to where he thought I was going to stay. He was sorely mistaken. When he reached out for me, I was gone once again.

"Don't tease me, Sookie," he roared out into the night; the rain falling over his beautiful body. Eric's voice was menacing and sexy. The vampire inside of him was about to emerge. He loved the chase. He loved that the prey that he wanted wasn't willingly giving herself to him. His vampiric instinct was strong. He wanted to hunt and I couldn't wait to be hunted.

When I popped away from him this time, I didn't say anything. While peeping around the corner of the house, I giggled as I watched him raise his face to the night sky. He was smelling me out. Just as I was about to continue with my game of cat and mouse, he had one hand over my mouth and his arm wrapped around my waist. My mouth dropped as the shock of him catching me registered in my mind. He wasn't supposed to catch me. I was supposed to be alert and ready.

He leaned down and let his fangs scrape across my neck. "Do you still want to play?"

I grabbed the back of his head and pressed his mouth against my neck. His fangs slightly piercing my neck. "Yes."

I wanted him to bite me but he didn't. He'd retracted his fangs. He didn't want to bite me. He wanted to keep playing the game. He turned me around to face him and I brushed my fingertips over his bottom lip. Our eyes lock and that is it for me. I am lost.

When his fingers brushed against my cheek, it took my breath completely away. My knees weakened. My nipples hardened when the silk from my gown pressed against them as he held me close to his chest. My body trembled at the slightest touch of him and a soft laugh escaped him. I gasped as his lips brushed against my earlobe. I closed my eyes and swallowed.

"Look at me, Sookie. I want to see all of you."

A soft moan escaped my lips as I looked at him. I leaned my cheek into his hand and lost myself in his touch. A soft moan escaped from me as his hand gripped my hair and he forcefully pulled my head back. I caught his bottom lip between my teeth as he lowered his head to kiss and lick my neck.

I clenched his shirt in my hands as my thighs trembled. I wanted to feel his body on mine. I wanted to feel him in me. I need Eric. I want him but I couldn't move and he knew it. He knows what he's done to me. He can feel it. He knows that I am lost without you. It's as if he could read my mind. He pulled me closer to him and kissed his way from my neck to my mouth. Satisfaction slowly washed over me. The ache in between my legs is more than I can stand.

When Eric inhaled, he groaned. He wrapped his other arm around me and pressed me against his hardness. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes as I kissed my sweet husband along his jaw line. I nibbled at his neck; the rain droplets dancing along my tongue.

Eric whimpered softly as his hands tightened on my waist. Unnecessarily, his breath quickened as I bit into his flesh. His sweet blood mixed with the rain as it trickled down my throat. I kissed and licked the bite until it had healed. His moans deepened when I flicked my tongue against his earlobes. I pulled it in between my teeth as I rolled the tip of my tongue over it.

Whispering, I asked, "How does it feel?"

In response to my question, Eric cupped my ass and pulled me even closer into his body. I cried out softly and answered my own question.

"It feels so good."

When I began grinding against him, he moved his hand up and grabbed and handful of my hair. This time he bit into my flesh. I squirmed against him as I whimpered softly with each pull of my blood. The throbbing between my legs was too much for me to handle. After he'd healed the wounds on my neck, I looked him in his eyes.

"Don't tease me."

He filled the rainy night with harsh laughter. "I thought that you wanted to play."

"No," I said. I reached in between us and began to gently massage him. "I want this."

Eric's eyes closed as he shivered at my touch. He groaned softly as his mouth captured mine; kissing me hungrily. It was as if he is tasting me for the first time. I had to tighten my grip on him in order to keep from falling. Our tongues danced as we gave ourselves to each other. I gasped slightly as he returned us to the steps of the long forgotten gazebo.

He leaned my body against the handrail and continued to kiss me; his soft, cool lips lulling me into ecstasy. He kissed along my cheek and to my neck. He peppered the tops of my breasts with sweet kisses. Soon he was kissing his way down my stomach as he began lifting my gown up to my waist. Before I know it, he's thrown my leg over his shoulder. My dearest love was nibbling and kissing at my inner thigh.

Holding my hips in place, he was kissing every part of me except for my sex. The very anticipation made me whimper. My breath was coming faster. I pushed forward in the hopes that he would relieve some of this pressure. When he looked up at me, a look of greed filled his eyes.

Eric used his tongues to gently part my lips; moving it from side to side. He started lower and moved deliciously upward. I moaned loudly when he reached my nub. It throbbed against his tongue mercilessly. He moved so gently that my body began to convulse.

"So good," I moaned and I looked down at him; brushing his hair away from his face so that I could see his mouth on my sex.

He watched my reaction as he made love to me with his mouth. I was so excited that my breathing was shallow and fast. I moved in rhythm with his mouth. His grip on my hips tightened as he worked his tongue faster on my nub. His guttural groans urged me on and within seconds, I could no longer hold on.

"Oh, Eric," I cried out as the rain washed over me.

My hand was gripping his head and I threw my back as he loved me over and over again with his tongue. The heel of my foot was pressing deeper into his back; begging him to never stop but he did. He pressed his thick, wide tongue against it and I groaned some more. When he stood up, he pressed his still covered hardness against my throbbing nub; my leg draped lazily over his arm.

I traced my finger over his lips, spreading my juices over them. I then slowly and deliberately licked his lips. His beautiful fangs glistened in the moonlight. He let my gown fall back around my knees as he let me kiss him.

Eric then pulled me down onto his lap as he held me to his chest; our passionate kiss never breaking. He used one hand to caress my ass. The other hand was working his way up my thigh. The more excited I became, the harder it rained. My wet hair was plastered to my face.

When I reached up to brush the wet strands from my face, Eric grabbed my wrists.

"No," he growled at me.

He grinned wickedly at me. He pulled my wrists back and leaned me against his arm. As he stared at me, he could see all of me; past and present and he still loved me. He loved all of me. I hungrily kissed him; tasting his blood as our mouths crashed together.

"I love you," I said into his mouth.

Eric's response to 'I love you' was to rest the palm of his hand against my stomach; slowly circling with his fingertips. I arched my back as I waited for him to make sweet love to me.

With his mouth close to my ear, he asked, "What's the matter, Sookie? Is my lover regretting her little game of cat and mouse?"

When I couldn't answer him, I knew that I was in trouble.

Eric moved his hand up my body slowly; so slowly that the sheer anticipation was comparable to pain. His fingers moved up my stomach and to my breasts. He groaned as I arched my back. My nipples could be seen through the sheer pink fabric. My mean and vicious husband flicked his tongue across them quickly. He then slowly wrapped his mouth around my covered nipples.

"Do you like that?" he asked.

"Yes," I whimpered.

Cruelly, he took his mouth away. Eric trailed his hand back down my stomach and his hand disappeared in between my legs. My eyes widened as I rolled my hips. Once again, a wicked grin appeared on his face. His chest started to rise and fall as he unnecessarily inhaled. He let my wrists go as he suddenly gripped my hips. As he pressed his hard cock against me, I pressed my mouth into his and pulled his bottom lip into my mouth gently. I slowly pulled back from him and lowered my feet to the ground and slip from his lap. I dropped to my knees.

Eric leaned back and rested his elbows on the gazebo floor behind him. As I unbuttoned his pants, my eyes held his the sound of his zipper drowned out the slowing rain. I tugged at his pants as his beautiful length stood tall and proud before me. I leaned down and kissed his thighs. Eric grabbed a handful of my wet hair as I kissed my way to the tip of his cock.

His eyes glowered intensely into mine. I wrapped my lips around the head of his hardness as my tongue teased him. I encircled the head with only my mouth; never moving up and down on him. Eric's fingers tightened on my hair as he growled. He began thrusting more of his cock into my mouth. I decided to oblige. I bobbed my head slowly as I took him deeper into my mouth; down my throat. The feeling of the head of his cock hitting the back of my throat caused him to throw his head back and roar out into the night. He started to thrust into my mouth and as he did to me, I held him into place by gripping the tops of his thighs. Before I knew it, my mouth was filled with his sweet nectar but his need for more didn't die.

He pulled me up from my kneeling position and I was soon straddling him. I held my breath as he slowly guided his hardness inside of me. I screamed out in bliss. My body shuddered violently as Eric buried his cock deep inside of me. I was lost in him. I gave myself to him.

Before I knew it, I was bent over the handrail and Eric was behind me; filling me with every inch of him. I cried out as he gripped my waist and pulled me towards him in order to meet each of his thrusts. I rolled my hips as I felt my muscles clenching around him. His moans were more than I could handle. I could feel him growing inside of me.

"Tell me what you want, Sookie," he growled in my ear.

"I want you to fuck me," I whimpered. "Fuck me hard."

He did as I wanted. His thrusts came harder and harder; deeper and deeper. He growled at me as he owned me; claimed what is rightfully his.

"Cum with me, my lover," he ordered.

When I did, he leaned forward and bit into my shoulder; never once missing a beat as he fucked and fed from me. Our bodies convulsed together as wave after wave of rapture flowed through us.

When we were sated, Eric laid on the floor of the gazebo with me on top of his cool body. I looked into his eyes and kissed him. I placed my head on his cool chest and closed my eyes. This is who I need. This is where I belong. Eric makes everything so much better.

"Don't worry, my love," he whispered as he traced his fingers along my spine. "I'll take care of you. I've always been there for you and nothing's going to change that. There's always tomorrow, my lover. We have tomorrow."

"Thank you," I whispered.

"I love you, Sookie."

I smiled as I closed my eyes and snuggled into his body. "Always, always, always, I'm yours, Eric," I answered.

My worries were gone; even it was just for a little while.


	80. Chapter 80

**I Remember You**

**I want to thank y'all for the time that you give to this story. Thank y'all for the favorites, alerts and reviews. I appreciate them so much. I have to also say that the story belongs to me. The main characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I hope that you all enjoy. **

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><p>I have a full day ahead of me. I'm not sure if I'm going to have time do everything that I need to do but I am going to do my best. I want to stay here with the girls, Mustapha and Foster today but unfortunately I am not afforded that luxury. I had to get up and get ready for my day. After my shower, I decided to wear an off the shoulder navy blue Vera Wang maxi dress with a matching shrug. My hair is in loose curls; falling over my shoulders and down my back. It is a warm and beautiful October day. The outfit that I've chosen is perfectly suitable to wear for my meeting with Sid Matt Lancaster and my lunch date with the girls. The meeting is the most important. This is the day that our life changes. Eric and I are no longer a couple. We have children now that we have to look after. Our life has an entire new meaning to it.<p>

Before leaving home, I went downstairs to the kitchen to kiss the girls good-bye. They are sitting at the table eating Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes and bacon. Mustapha and Foster are standing by the island and comparing recipes and cooking techniques. The giggles and the happiness that filled our home filled me.

"Hey, Aunt Sookie," the girls said.

Their sweet and angelic voices broke through my reverie. "Good morning." The smile on my face broadened. Mustapha and Foster both looked at me and gave me head nods and went back to their recipes and comparisons.

"Where are you going this morning?" Adele asked.

"I have to go out this morning. Mustapha and Foster are going to hold down the fort while I'm out. Will you guys be okay?"

"We're going to be fine." Adele crammed pancake into her mouth. "You look really pretty." Syrup was running down the side of her mouth.

"Why thank you."

"There's something that we have to tell you when you get home. Uncle Eric already knows," Sookie Jr. said.

"Knows what?"

"You'll see."

Adele started giggling.

"What are you two little monkeys hiding from me?"

"You'll see," they said simultaneously.

"Don't let the bad stuff get you down," Sookie Jr. added. "It'll all work out in the end. Granny's not as smart as she thinks she is."

Adele agreed and frowned as she looked at her sister. "I don't really like her. She's not a nice person. Papa is nice though."

"Yeah," Sookie Jr. said as she picked up her orange juice glass. "I like him."

The girls talked as if nothing had ever been said about the bad stuff. "What do you mean, Sookie?"

She shrugged her shoulders and started chewing on her bacon. She didn't answer me. She wouldn't even look at me.

Adele shook her head. "She's not going to tell you. Even if she did, it wouldn't change anything."

That's when Mustapha came over to stand with me. I could hear the rumble as it began to build in his chest. "I can go with you if you need me to. I can call Warren and have him watch the house ..."

"No," I interrupted. "I'll be fine. I need you here."

"Yes, we do need you here," Foster chimed in. "I'm going to make my famous cookies for the girls today. I know you're going to want to try them Mr. Chefboyardee. They are the best cookies you'll ever taste."

"You can call me whatever you want, I know that I am the better cook. Your cookies may taste alright. I'll give you that," he said. "But I have a cookie recipe that will make you faint dead away. You'll be spoiled for anyone's else's cookies; even your own. I guarantee it." He'd forgotten all about me.

I returned my attention to the girls and kissed them on their heads. "If you need me, you know how to call me." I tapped the side of head.

They nodded.

"I love you," I said to them.

"We love you too."

"Call me if you need me, Sookie," Mustapha said to me as I walked past him.

"Will do."

As I was leaving the kitchen, I could hear the girls asking for another pancake and one more piece of bacon. They began talking about going swimming in the pool out back. They wanted to sit in the round playhouse; which is actually the gazebo. They talked and they talked and they talked. It was wonderful. The chattering and the giggles of children is sweet music to my ears. Life can't get any better than this.

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><p><strong>o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o<strong>

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><p>When I knocked on Sid Matt's office door, it wasn't his voice that told me to come in. I opened the door and there was his grandson, Justin. The big, blond green eyed football god from my high school days. He was on the phone and talking a mile a minute. When he noticed that it is I, Sookie Northman, standing at his office door, his eyes and smile lit up his face.<p>

He stood up from his grandfather's desk and asked, "Little Sookie Stackhouse, is that you?"

"Justin?" I exclaimed. "Oh my goodness; it is so good to see you."

I couldn't believe my eyes. I hadn't seen Justin since he'd gone off to college. He was a year ahead of me in high school and he was always really nice to me. He never treated me as if was different even though he knew that I was. It was no big deal to him. I'm not saying that he has ever been a friend of mine but he was always civil to me. He never thought of me as Crazy Sookie and he always treated me with respect and kindness. That wasn't something that I was used to. It felt good.

"It's been so long," I said.

We walked towards each other and hugged. He was dressed in a navy blue suit with a dashing red tie and he looked dapper. He didn't look like the big, sweaty jock from many years ago. He looked like a very professional and successful young man. Justin also looked just as good today as he did back in high school. He's aged very well.

"You look sensational," he said. Justin's eyes traveled over my body. Appreciation was clearly in his eyes and he didn't try to hide it.

"Thank you and it's not Stackhouse anymore," I said. "I'm a married woman now. It's Sookie Northman." I waved my fingers at him; making sure that he notices my wedding rings.

"Well, congratulations," he said. "I'm engaged to be married myself." He looked at me again and smiled. When he looked at me, his thoughts weren't on his fiancée' either. I can only guess that once a horndog, always a horndog.

"Come on. Have a seat," he said as he walked around to the other side of his desk.

Once I was seated, he followed suit. On his desk sat a flat manila envelope. It had the words confidential written across the cover. I tried not to stare at it but I couldn't help it. It contained the future of my family. Justin noticed the look on my face and he felt pity for me. As I've said before, I hate that look of pity. He realized what I already knew. I am the last original member of the Stackhouse family. It never dawned on me that I would be the last remaining Stackhouse. It almost made me laugh.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

"It seems that in Bon Temps, the Stackhouses suffer more than their fair share of 'em." He rested his elbows on his desk and said, "I keep trying to prepare myself for granddad's death but I can't. You can't prepare yourself for something like that, you know?"

I didn't realize that Sid Matt's cancer was no longer in remission. When he called me the day after Jason's murder, he sounded fine. He sounded like the Sid Matt from years ago.

"What happened? He was fine when I talked to him a couple of days ago."

Justin chuckled. "Have you ever noticed how people say that? I just talked to him a few days ago. She was fine when I last saw her." He shook his head. "You know granddad. He's always going to put on a happy face regardless of how he feels. In all truth, his cancer has gotten worse. They told him that they could keep doing the chemo but he declined. They sent him home a few days ago. Dad called and told me that I needed to come in and handle the last of granddad's business."

"Oh, goodness," I whispered. "Will you be taking over his business?"

He shook his head no. "I'm going to go back to Tennessee as soon as I get things straight here. After you, there's only two cases remaining. In a small town like Bon Temps, there aren't very many lawsuits or trials going on." Justin then dropped his head and said, "Last night he kept talking to his sweet Elva Deen and she's been gone for over six years now."

"I'm so sorry."

When he looked up at me, his eyes were glassy and sad. "I keep thinking that because he's lived a good eighty-two years, that it's a good thing. He won't have to suffer anymore. He'll be at peace. That's what I keep telling myself but I don't believe it. The excuses aren't working. It never gets easy does it?"

I almost said no but that wouldn't have been the truth. "It does but it takes time. As long as you don't have to go through it alone, it gets better. You have your memories, your stories, and your pictures. When you're missing them, the things that they've left behind give you comfort. The love never dies …so yeah. It gets easier." I scooted to the edge of my seat and placed my hand on his. "It'll take time but eventually you'll make it. You'll have your fiancée and your children; if you have them. Love will get you through. Love always gets you through the tough times."

He let the tears fall but quickly wiped them away. He placed his hand atop mine and thanked me. "I love him. My granddad is my best friend. He was at every game; every event I've ever had, he's been there. He was so proud when I went into law. You should've seen him at my graduation."

"You see. That's what's going to get you through this." I squeezed his hand one last time. That's when Mr. and Mrs. Arthur walked through the doors and they weren't alone. They brought their attorney with them. They acknowledged Justin but ignored me. I knew what type of meeting that this was going to turn into. This is something that I wanted to avoid but I see now what has to be done.

"This is our attorney, Mrs. Delia Johnson." Alyson Arthur didn't give me a glance when she spoke to Justin.

Justin stood up and reached across his desk and shook hands with the Arthurs and their lawyer. "Good morning, Mrs. Johnson. I've heard so much about you. Your record is impeccable when it comes to child custody cases. You haven't lost one case since you've been practicing."

Justin looked at me when he said that. It was for my benefit. I gave him a quick nod and took in my surroundings.

"Please have a seat," he said before he continued. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Johnson …"

"Call me Delia," she said with a bright and phony smile.

"Thank you, Delia," he said. Justin looked at me and said, "This is Mrs. Sookie Northman."

She ignored his greeting and kept her eyes trained on Justin. He cleared his throat as if it would sweep the room of the tension. Sadly, it did not work.

"I have to say that your presence makes me curious. This is only a will reading. I can't help but wonder why you're here."

Delia answered Justin's question but stared at me. "I'm here because my clients are concerned about the welfare of their grandchildren. And from my understanding, they have every reason to be concerned. They believe that the environment that they are in may not be suitable."

What was there for them to be concerned about? Sookie and Adele are in no danger at all. If anything they will be safer with me and Eric. The very idea that either of us would do anything to hurt those children angered me. I usually do my best to remain calm but for someone to even suggest that my nieces are in danger pisses me off to no end.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," I said. "I'm Sookie Northman. I'm Jason's sister." I offered her my hand in greeting but she stared at it and then at me.

"Yes," she said as she looked me up and down. "I've heard of you." She never took my hand.

Graciously, I placed my hand back on my lap. "If I may, what do you mean that you're concerned for the welfare of my nieces? The children are in no danger. Since they've been with us, they've been well taken care of. I know that it's only been a few days but we mean them no harm. There is no reason to fear for them. My husband and I are financially stable. We are both employed. We are more than capable of providing a stable home for the girls."

Delia looked at me and smiled. "We'll discuss this after the reading of the will." She turned away from me and looked at Justin.

Alyson had a smug look on her face. Mr. Arthur still didn't looked at me. David would glance at me from the corner of his eye but he said nothing. I could see that he didn't want to do this but he went along with it anyway. There was no need for any of this. I have no intentions of keeping the children away from them. They are family and family is important; to a certain degree. I guess I'll have to see how many degrees Mr. and Mrs. Arthur are worth. Though I already know why they're doing this, I have to ask. I need to hear them say it.

I looked past their attorney and asked them, "This is not necessary. You don't have to do this."

Delia lifted her hand in the halt position. "Don't address my clients directly. You speak directly to me if you have any questions and as I've already stated, after the reading, you will find out why we're here." She was no longer feigning graciousness. She was just out-and-out rude.

"There's no need for nastiness, Delia," Justin stated. "In my office, you will conduct yourself in a professional manner. There is no need for you to be here; in case you didn't know. Have I made myself clear?"

Delia couldn't believe her ears. She'd never been spoken to in that way before and she didn't like it.

"You can't have this meeting without me. They have requested …"

"I can and I will. Now, apologize to Mrs. Northman or excuse yourself from my office."

Delia looked as if she swallowed both of her feet. In a meek and soft voice, she apologized to me. "I didn't mean to disrespect you. From this point on, I will better handle myself."

I didn't care for her apology. I didn't need it but it is sweet satisfaction to see the embarrassment written all over her face. "If that is true, Mrs. Johnson, will you tell me why you're here."

Delia looked at the Arthurs before she spoke. When they nodded, she began telling me why she was a party to my brother's will reading. "Because you are married to a vampire, the Arthurs are worried for their grandchildren's safety. They feel that being in the company of vampires will not work in the children's favor. It will put them at a disadvantage. They could be in danger. Vampires have been known to feed from and/or attack children. You should be well aware of that."

I revolted by what I'd just heard. "My husband is a good man. My vampire friends are nothing short of being respectful. They are wonderful and caring people."

"Ah," Delia interrupted. "He is not a man. He is a vampire. They are not people. They are vampires."

Glaring at her but remaining professional and cool, I continued. "My husband is a _good man_. He would never do anything to harm those girls. We love them like they are our own. We would let no harm come to them. We promised Jason and Michele that we would keep them safe and that is promise that we intend to keep. My friends will cause our children no harm."

She laughed. "Your children?"

"Yes," I said. "Our children."

"They are not your children," Alyson Arthur growled at me. "They are my family. They belong with me."

"Alyson," Delia hissed over her shoulder.

Alyson clamped her mouth closed and stared straight ahead. I could hear in her mind that she would die and go to hell before she would let a vampire raise her grandchildren. I hope she packs all summer clothes.

Delia looked at me and laughed. In her mind I could see that she saw my husband and nothing more than a monster …a scary and dangerous monster.

"You don't know my husband. He may be a vampire but he has compassion and he has the capacity to love. How dare you judge him," I whispered. My heart was broken as I stared at the ugly images in her head. "How dare you."

With that said, she reached in her attache case and pulled out a folder and placed it on her lap. She made sure to look at me when she did it. A smirk was now her face. She looked at Justin and said, "I've apologized to Mrs. Northman and I would like it if we could proceed."

"Sookie?" he said. Again, he pitied me.

I gave him a slight nod to let him know that I am okay.

He looked at us and said, "I have to video tape this meeting. Jason and Michele's attorney could not be here today and he would like a copy for his records. Are there any objections to this?"

All of us said no. Justin clicked the button to the video recorder remote and the meeting started.

"We will now proceed with the reading of the will of Jason and Michele Stackhouse. Their will was processed on February 18, 2008 at 4:15 pm. In attendance for the will reading, I have Mrs. Sookie Northman, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and Alyson Arthur. With them is their attorney, Delia Johnson." He looked at his watch and said, "The time is now 9:00 a.m. and I am about to begin reading the will to myself before verbally stating the contents. Are there any objections."

Again, we all said no. He opened the folder and read over it before he spoke aloud. A couple of times, I heard him gasp and then I saw his eyes widened. He looked at the Arthurs and then back at the folder. Justin inhaled deeply as he closed the folder and exhaled slowly when he looked out at us.

Justin looked at his watch and said, "It is now 9:13 am and I have read the contents of said will. I will now get a clarification of what I've read before reading the true contents from said will. Is that okay with everyone?"

"You're not going to read what you have first?" asked Dennis.

"No," Justin stated. "I have a few questions to ask before I disclose the contents of said will. Is that understood?"

"Yes," everyone answered. Mrs. Johnson became fidgety and nervous. I could hear it in her voice. And I liked it.

"From what I can tell, Jason and Michele were well prepared at the time of their death." Justin seemed to be impressed with what he saw. "I can tell you that I've never known for a young couple to have their will so well prepared. They've covered all loopholes. This is the most ironclad will I've ever had the pleasure of reading. They had their will drawn up a year after their daughters were born. From what I've read, they had an excellent attorney. My reason for saying this is because of the provisions that they've put in their will." Justin then looked at the Arthurs and said, "And from the looks of it, you've already relinquished all custodial and visitation rights to the children when you contacted an attorney."

Mrs. Arthur jumped up from her seat and said, "What! Are you saying that we are to have no contact with the children at all?" She then looked at Delia and asked the same question. "Is that what he's saying? We don't have any rights to our grandchildren? A fucking vampire is going to be the father to our grandchildren?"

Delia placed her hand on Mrs. Arthur's shoulder and said, "Please, Alyson. You have to learn to control yourself. There is no need for the hysterics. If you can't control yourself, it will work against you." Through clenched teeth, she added, "I've told you this once today already and I will not tell you again."

Alyson sat down. She didn't calm down in the least. Her legs were bouncing. She was sweating and she was hot as fire. "I apologize."

Delia nodded and then turned back to Justin. "I apologize for my client's outburst. Please, will you explain the provisions of the will?"

"Well," Justin started. "It states here that Jason and Michele warned her parents that if they got an attorney and said attorney tried to take the children away from Mr. and Mrs. Northman, they have no rights to the children. Any visitation with the girls will null and void." Looking at the Arthurs', he asked, "Were you warned by the Stackhouses not to get an attorney when it came to the custodial rights of the children?"

"We were," Dennis answered.

Alyson looked at her husband. She couldn't believe that he'd admitted the truth.

"And you got an attorney?" Justin asked.

"We did," Dennis said.

"I'm sorry to say that any visitation with the girls, from this point on, is null and void."

Alyson glared at me. "You fucking bitch! This is your fault! All of it! If you'd stayed away, I would have custody of my grandchildren. They don't even know you! For years, you've traveled the world and now all of a sudden, you come back! You only want them because you're with a fucking vampire and you can't have children of your own. I wouldn't be afraid to say that your husband had them killed so that you can have the children that you can't have."

"I love my brother."

"Enough," Justin said. The vein in his forehead popped out and his face was as red as I've ever seen it. "Delia, you control your client or you get her the hell out of here and I mean it."

Delia looked at me and she mouthed the words, '_I'm sorry_'_. It wasn't supposed to happen this way._

"Sookie, are you okay?"

I looked at Justin and nodded. I knew that if I'd spoken a word, I would have cried.

"Sit down, Alyson or leave," Delia said.

She frowned at her attorney and said, "Aren't you going to do your fucking job? We are paying you to keep our grandchildren away from a vamp whore and a fucking blood sucker and you're telling me to sit down or leave? What the fuck is wrong with you? I tell you what, you fucking cunt, you …"

"Sit down and shut the fuck up, Alyson!"

She turned around and looked at her husband in amazement. I could see in her head that he has never talked to her in that way before. He's always done what she's wanted him to do. He never argued with her. He had always been _a yes dear_ husband and that's the way she wanted to keep it. Her eyes darkened and her face was scrunched up in anger. "How you dare speak to me like that. I am your wife and you will show me respect!"

Dennis stood up and stared deep into his wife's eyes. He was not going to back down and from what I could gather he is sick and tired of his wife's selfish ways. "You will sit down and shut-up and you will do it right now."

Alyson was about to work her mouth up to say something else but the look on her husband's face told her that she'd better not. She sat down and didn't say another word. Dennis looked at me and apologized.

"Forgive us," he said as he sat down. And he meant it. He then looked at Justin and said, "It was my wife's idea to hire an attorney. She wouldn't listen to me when I reminded her of Michele's wishes. She said that our daughter didn't know any better. She is under the belief that Michele wasn't thinking clearly. I knew that my daughter meant what she'd said and I should've stood up for when she couldn't do it for herself. Because I didn't, I am sorry."

Alyson was seething. "What are you doing? Are you trying to make it easier for the vampire to get his cold dead hands on our grandchildren? Is that what you're doing?"

Dennis stared at his wife and a sad, small smile played across his lips. "No, Alyson. Mrs. Northman's husband has nothing to do with your arrogance or your ignorance. You're the reason we've lost contact with our grandchildren. _You_," he said.

Her mouth opened and closed several times. She looked like a dying fish but she said nothing.

Dennis then looked at Delia. "I never wanted to hire you. You've known this from the beginning; therefore, I will not be paying you. You are my wife's expense so you will get your money from her." He then looked at Justin and asked, "Is there anything else that my wife and I need to know or is that it?"

Justin shook his head no. "The entire will focuses on the children and their well being. They didn't want any arguing and they didn't want any fighting over them. They wanted the children to be a part of your lives even though you weren't going to have full custody. There was never the intention to keep them away from you or your wife. Since you did the opposite of what they've asked, you have no rights to them."

"What were our rights going to be?" Dennis asked in a sad and sullen voice.

Justin read from the will. "Sookie and Eric Northman will receive sole custody of our children, Siddah and Afreda Stackhouse. They will spend every weekend with the parents of Michele Stackhouse, David and Alyson Arthur. The Northmans will alternate holidays and school vacations with the Arthurs."

Siddah and Afreda? I thought that their names were Sookie and Adele.

It broke my heart when Dennis dropped his head. His stooped shoulders drooped even more. "You're so selfish, Alyson," he whispered. "You're so selfish." He looked at her just as the tears fell from his eyes.

She reached for him but he stood up and stepped away from her. "I'm done." With that said Dennis turned and walked out of the room; closing the door behind him. I looked at the closed door and then back at Justin. We both knew that when Dennis said that he's done, he didn't just mean with the meeting. He also meant his wife. Alyson remained seated and began to cry.

Delia looked at me and asked, "Is there anything that we can do to try and make things right? Is there anything that can be so that the girls can have a relationship with their grandparents?"

I look into Alyson's mind and it is filled with animosity. She doesn't want the children with us and as soon as she gets the chance, she's going to take them. She doesn't care about the risks. She wants those girls away from me and from Eric. She doesn't care that she's going to lose her husband. Her only goal is to take her grandchildren.

Looking at Delia, I shook my head no. "I'm sorry but I can't risk the well being of those girls. All that matters to us is that they are kept safe and I don't believe they will be safe with Mrs. Arthur."

Delia sighed and said okay. She put the folder back into her attaché case but pulled out a business card. As she handed it to me, she said, "If you change your mind."

I took it from her and placed it in my purse. I don't see me changing my mind.

Delia stood up and offered Justin her hand. "Good evening, Mr. Lancaster and again, I truly apologize for my client's behavior." She looked down at Alyson and said, "Come on, Mrs. Arthur. We need to get you home."

Alyson looked at me and glared.

Delia offered me her hand. Being the lady that I am, I took it and smiled. "Forgive us, Mrs. Northman. If I offended you in any way, I do apologize."

"When you offend my husband, you offend me. This time you're forgiven."

She almost smiled but she stopped herself. She knows that I'm serious. She began to think about what she'd said to me and a look of embarrassment came over her face and filled her eyes. She looked down at her wedding ring and I can him in her mind. She's married to a vampire! Never in a million years would I have guessed it.

"I understand," she said. She grinned at me and assisted Alyson in getting up from the chair.

She is in for a rude awakening when she gets home. Her husband is leaving her and he is going to ask for a divorce. He is tired of her ways and in his words, he is done. I watched the ladies as they left the room and almost felt sorry for Mrs. Arthur. She's lost her grandchildren and her husband. I sighed and turned back to face Justin.

"That was interesting," he said after they'd closed the door.

"Very," I replied. "Is there anything else that I need to do, Justin?"

"No," he said. "I'll send a messenger over with the paperwork that you have to sign. You'll have to decide what to do with your brother's house. He left that to you but the bank accounts are for the children. Other than that, there's nothing else."

I stood up and placed my purse on my shoulder. Before I turned to leave, I asked, "You said that my brother's will is ironclad and has not one loophole."

Justin stood up and placed his hands on his waist. "I've never seen one like it. Your brother and his wife covered every base known to man." He then shrugged his shoulders. "I'd be surprised if it wasn't considering who their attorney was. He's one of the best …hell; he might very well be the best."

I chuckled as I thought of his rounded belly and his jolly laugh. "Desmond Cataliades?" I asked.

Justin looked at me sideways and asked, "How did you know?"

"He's always looking out for us Stackhouses. He's our godfather." He's only my godfather but Justin didn't need to know that.

"Well, shit fire. No wonder," Justin said as he ran his hand through his hair.

Reaching out to shake his hand, I said, "Well, I must be going. It was so good to see you again. Will you give Sid Matt my love?"

He nodded and said, "I will. You take care and I hope to see you again, Mrs. Northman but hopefully it'll be during better circumstances."

"I hope so."

When I left Justin's office, I felt so good about my marriage. It pleases me that the world knows that Eric is mine and I am his. Mrs. Sookie Northman; my smile broadened. It feels so good to hear people say my name. I've never been prouder.


	81. Chapter 81

**I Remember You**

**I apologize for the serious delay but work has been kicking my behind. Needless, to say, I have returned. Thank you for your patience and your time. And as always, the story is mine but the main characters belong to Charlaine Harris.**

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><p>She's been following me since I left the lawyer's office. I have to admit one thing, though. She's pretty good about tailing me. She's at least five cars behind me. If it wasn't for my telepathy, I would never know that she's with me. She was running errands when she recognized this morning walking from Sid Matts's office. She saw me on TV last night. She saw me watching as they took the killers away. She knows that I had something to do with them getting caught. She just doesn't know how I did it. The shocking thing about it is that she's glad that they were caught.<p>

I never let on that I know she's following me. I stop at the gas station. She stops. I go in to pay for my gas, she goes in to get a bottle of water. After I pump my gas, I sit in my car and I wait for her. After all, she had to stand at the back of the line. She is following me. I want her to keep following me. I want her to approach me. She's not dangerous. She not like the others. She doesn't want to kill people; humans or supes. She just doesn't think that vampires should be allowed to be around '_normal_' people. She wants to talk to me and I'm going to let her. I want to hear what she has to say. I want to hear her explain the invalid reasoning behind her prejudices and the misleading way she approached the public. What do I mean by misleading? Well, after Eric and I did some research last night, we found out that she has written a lot of things about humans and vampires.

In the beginning, she wanted the vampires and the humans to interact but it wasn't real. It was all a lie. In a couple of interviews, she admitted that she never wanted the vampires and the humans together. It was no more than a ploy to get more money. She said that though she'd written that human and vampire relationships were good and loving, she never expected people to believe her. She said that it was never her idea for humans and vampires to build lifelong relationships. Her people made her write it. In all actuality, she hates the idea of any human loving a vampire. When asked why she wrote it, she blamed everyone but herself.

_They_ made me do it.

_They_ said that it would be best if I did it that way.

_They_ said that I'd get more money.

It was never that she wanted to do it. It was never that she thought that it would be best that way. It was never that she wanted the money. It was always someone else's fault.

And after a little more research, we found that if she'd come out the way that she wanted to in the very beginning, people wouldn't have been misled. They wouldn't have backed her in her quest for human and vampire relationships. They would have known that she is not a free thinker. She believes in separatism. She's not what many believed her to be. She's not consistent with her thoughts. She's not consistent with her characterization of human and vampire relationships. One minute, vampires are loving and unselfish creatures. They will drop whatever they are doing for the human that they are so in love with. They don't want their human to be harmed but in her last blog, it was totally different.

Vampires are cold, callous, and self absorbed monsters. They will make promises to you and then they'll take them back. Even though throughout the relationship, the vampire has been honest and truthful, he or she changes their mind and they decide to deceive you anyway. The human has always trusted the vampire but then all of a sudden, the vampire has never really loved the human. The human is now disgusted by vampires. The human has turned into an over the top FotSs member overnight. The human all of a sudden hates vampires and within seconds falls in love with someone else. That human was never in love if you ask me. Whomever this human is, I can't help but wonder how their feelings changed so quickly.

I don't get it.

Anyway, her blogs are self serving. She takes her followers in and then she goes in for the kill. She deceives them. Traps them. She's only for the people when it suits her needs and her wants. As I said earlier, she's misleading. She had to be misleading or else her secret would be known. What is the secret, you ask? People would know that she is the true leader of the Fellowship of the Sun.

When I pull into parking lot of the Blue Bayou; the restaurant that I and the girls are going to dine, she parks in the first parking space that she sees. I park further away. I don't want her to know that she's been spotted. She might run and I don't want that. I park and get out of my car and go about my business. I walk along as if I don't have a care in the world.

My phone began to ring as I walked across the parking lot. "Hello?"

"Sookie, it's me," Amelia said. "We are running late. Holly hasn't left Merlotte's yet and it's going to be about forty-five minutes before we get there. I am so sorry."

I smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll get us a table out on the patio. Wanna sit under the pink or lavender umbrella?"

"Pink," Amelia answered. "I love you and I promise. We won't be long."

"I love you too."

When I walked inside, Antoine looked at me and smiled. He is used to seeing me and Amelia in here. The Blue Bayou is one of the best restaurants in Shreveport. It is the new and happening spot. They have a larger menu selection. Most of the foods are organic and the service is always the best. The fact that they have a dining area out by the river is even more wonderful. A gorgeous view, wonderful food, and amazing company; what more could you ask for?

"How are you today, Miss. Stackhouse?" Antoine asked.

"I'm wonderful. And it's not Stackhouse anymore. I'm married now."

Antoine cupped his hands over his mouth and grabbed my hand. He gawked at the rings and shook his head. "I guess congratulations are in order. And this ring," he gasped. "It is too big for such a little hand. Who did you marry? Bill Gates?"

I laughed. "No, I did not. My husband's name is Eric Northman."

"Well, he is one lucky gentleman." Antoine turned his head for a second and grabbed two menus. "Will Miss. Amelia be joining you today?"

"Yes," I said as I nodded. "She and two other ladies will be dining with me. As usual, she's running late."

He laughed. He knows that Amelia's never on time. "Pink or lavender umbrella?" he asked.

"Pink."

"Follow me."

As I walked behind Antoine, she was now standing at the podium. She wasn't too surprised to hear that I'd married Eric. She knows that I'm the human that always keeps company with vampires. She wants to save me before it's too late. It's not too late for me. She's hoping to cut me off at the pass. She believes that he's put me under some type of spell. He has and it's called love.

Antoine pulled my chair out for me and said, "I'll send your waitress right over, Mrs. Northman."

As I sat down, I looked up at Antoine and said, "Thank you."

Within seconds, our waitress was standing over me and smiling. "Hi. My name is Julia. Would you like anything to drink while you wait for your friends?"

"Yes, please. My I have a glass of peach iced tea …no lemon."

"I'll be right back," she said with a smile.

I close my eyes and take in my surroundings once Julia leaves. It's safe and happy. The restaurant is lively with laughter and conversation. There were celebrations going on all around me. Anniversaries are being celebrated. Birthdays and lifelong friendships are being toasted. First dates are being had. It felt good to be surrounded by love and warmth. It is a happy day for everyone.

When I open my eyes, there she is. Looking down at me and smiling.

_How can such a sweet looking southern girl degrade herself by lying down with a vampire?_

I looked up at her and stared. Her round cherub face almost looked like a grandmother's face. It is a deceitful face. Her hair is in tight blonde curls and she looks uncomfortable in her lime green polyester pantsuit.

"May I help you?" I ask.

Her smile was tight and her laugh wasn't real. "I was just wondering if I know you."

"You do not."

"I know that I've seen you somewhere before."

I cocked my head to the side. I wanted to call her out but I didn't want to scare her away. I want to know what she has to say to me. I want to know why she despises vampires so much.

"I don't think so."

She just stood there; tight smile and all …staring at me. She's waiting for me to invite her to join me.

"What do you want?"

"I think I know where I've seen you. You were on the TV last night. Are you the one whose brother was murdered a few nights ago?"

I don't answer her. She's knows who I am. She knows what happened to my brother. She's a member of the group that killed my brother and his wife. She didn't know that it was going to happen and if she'd known, she would've tried to stop it.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," I said. I turned away from her and picked up my menu.

"May I join you …just for a few minutes?"

She puts her purse on the back of the chair and sits down. She had no intentions of waiting for an invitation. She wants to try and get through to me. She wants to save me from the pending death that awaits me. She really hates vampires. She sees them as no more than leeches on society.

_A good Christian girl wouldn't lay down with a vampire. They're not a real part of society. They're not even real people. They're users and abusers. If you have nothing to give to them, they have no use for you. What in the world could they be getting from her? She's pretty enough but there's something more there. I can see it in her eyes. She's different. She's more. _

She frowned as she continued to think about what makes me so special that vampires would want to be around me but I can see past those thoughts. She's hiding so many secrets. Her biggest secret could destroy her standing in the FotSs group. She's the one that came up with Tru Blood. She's the mastermind behind it all. The Japanese got all of the credit but it's her baby …her idea. And now she regrets it.

"Do you want something?" I asked her. "You're staring at me as if I owe you money or something. If there's something that you want to say, say it. Don't beat around the bush. I don't have time for that."

"My name is …"

I lifted my hand and said, "I know who you are. I've seen your picture before. There's no need for pleasantries. We're not friends. We'll never be friends. Now, if you don't mind, will you tell me what you want?"

She leaned back in her chair and stared at me. The phony smile is slowly fading away. "You're not as friendly as you appear to be."

"And you're not as open-minded as you pretend to be."

Her eyes widened as she chuckled. "What could you possibly know about me?"

I took a sip of my tea and smiled. "The internet is a very powerful tool. You have no idea what I know. I can educate you, if you like."

With a flick of her hand, she said, "Please do. This should be quite interesting."

"You're a phony. You pretend to be for the vampires but you're not. You invent Tru Blood and in the beginning, you would go on television touting its praises. It will make it possible for vampires to come out of their coffins and be a part of the human world. That's what you said, isn't it? They no longer have to hide because now they can live as we do. They can live with us. We don't have to fear them and they don't have to fear us. They deserve a real life ...just like us."

She was no longer the same arrogant woman that was leaning back in her seat only seconds ago. She was afraid because her secret is known.

"If I'm wrong, please tell me. I hope that I haven't misquoted you. Or did the fact that I know that you are the one that invented Tru Blood knock a little of the wind out of you?"

She swallowed her tongue. No one was supposed to now that she is the creator of the blood. She is wondering how I found out. She thinks that someone within her inner circle has betrayed her.

_How in the fuck does she know? The Japanese are supposed to take full credit. Not me …the Japanese. _

"And they have," I said. "The Japanese haven't given away your secret. For now, we are the only ones that know. You, me and my husband."

She lifted her hand and called for the waitress. When Julia approached the table, the woman asked for a glass of water. The woman was now fidgety and nervous. She needed that water to wash down the rest of her tongue. Once she got it, she drained the glass of every drop.

"Do you need anymore?" Julia asked.

The woman said no. Julia gave the woman a strange look before walking away.

When she put the glass on the table, the woman's hands were shaking. She looked at me and asked, "What are you?"

"I'm in love with a vampire."

She was still fidgety. She was still nervous. She was also disgusted. "How can you do that? How can you give yourself to a vampire? They are death. They drink your blood. They use you."

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "One could say the same thing about you. You write good things about human and vampire relationships and then you destroy them. You turn them into people that no one knows. They don't even seem to know themselves.

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that you've written about me and my husband. You would have your loyal readers believing that my husband truly loves me. He's always been there for me. He's always protected me and then all of sudden …boom! It was all a lie. He never loved me. I never loved him. It's as if vampire/human relationships are a joke to you. A means to make a quick buck. One could say that you are no different than the vampires that you hate."

"I am nothing like those blood suckers," she said.

I sighed and said, "You are. You just don't see it. Let me explain. You latched on to your public and led them to believe in something that you knew wasn't true. You sucked them dry. The words that you use to describe the vampires are the same words that can be used to describe you."

She was outraged that I'd compared her to a vampire. She sees that the analogy is true and she doesn't like it. She doesn't like it one bit.

"What is wrong with you?"

"I've never been happier."

The woman looked at me and said, "I don't understand women like you. I don't see how you can fall in love with a dangerous vampire."

I gave her a pitiful look. "Even if I told you, I don't think you'd understand."

She rested her elbows on the table and propped her head up with her hands. "Explain it to me so that I can understand."

"My husband loves me. He's always protected me. He takes care of me and he's risked his life for me. No other man has ever done any of those things for me. Are you following me so far?"

"I am."

"My husband is what any woman would want; whether he's a vampire or not. He's always put me first. I just didn't know it. He never told me about the things he's done in order for us to stay together but I know …I feel his love for me. I've never been loved like this before."

My mind traveled to what he'd done in order to break the marriage contract. I don't know all that he's done but I know that he fought for us. My husband has never been one to give up without a fight and I know that he's always fought for us.

"My husband is a wonderful man."

She shook her head at me and said, "Why a vampire? Why not a werewolf or one of those shifters? At least they don't drink your blood."

"Do you know any wolves or shifters?"

She pretended to be thinking but I know that she doesn't know one.

"The two natured have two faces. And what is the big difference between any of the supes? They're not humans …not completely. Let's say I did meet a shifter or a Were before I met my husband. Would they tell me that they love before I met my husband or would they wait until after I'm with him? Would they watch me with these so called evil monsters and not try to protect me at all? They love me so much but they never tell me that they want me until I get involved with a vampire. Would they call me names and tell me how stupid how I am for being involved with a vampire? Can they treat me so harshly and say such mean things to me and still say that they love me? No. I don't believe they can. My husband loves me."

She only stared at me. In her mind, I can see that she doesn't care one bit about what I think or how I feel. She came up with the vampires' nourishment and that's just that. Because they drink blood, human blood, they don't and can't love anyone. They're dead and soulless. She wishes that they'd stayed away from the humans.

"Your husband will do something to you. You'll anger him or you'll deny him and he'll kill you or either he'll turn you. I can see that you're not like other women and he'll probably do anything to keep you. He'll probably turn you against your will."

"He'd never do that. He's told me that even if he wants to keep me, he wouldn't turn me against my will. He's never lied to me. He's always, always told me the truth. He may not tell me everything but what he tells me is true."

"He'll turn you."

"He won't." I looked at her and smiled.

"Stupid, stupid girl," she said. "How do you know this? This is no guaranteeing that he …"

"He's already had the chance and he didn't do it." I stared deep in her eyes and said, "That's how I know. He's never broken a promise to me. Ever."

Her nostrils flared. Her eyes turned red with anger. "Vampires turn on those that trust them the most."

"So do humans."

"Vampires pledge their love but they will leave you."

"So do humans."

"You need to leave him because he is just like the rest of them."

"I would rather die today than live a hundred years without ever knowing him."

She slammed her fists down on the table and stood up from her chair with such force that it fell into the table behind her. "I'm trying to save you. You can't love a vampire. Vampires can't love you in return. They're godless, soulless, and deadly creatures."

The people that were sitting around us looked at her. They were disgusted with her actions. The lady at the next table talked loudly about some people lacking decorum. The man behind me said that the lady needed to be thrown out on her ass. Another lady said that she my guest shouldn't draw attention to that ugly lime green pantsuit.

_There's no need in behaving in such a manner._

_That poor girl looks so embarrassed. I'd never go anywhere else with her. _

"Sit down," I said to her.

She glared at me.

"Sit. Down," I repeated. This time, she must have seen something in my eyes because she did as I said.

Antoine was soon standing beside me; his hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright, Mrs. Northman?" He is glaring at my guest.

"I'm fine, Antoine. All is fine."

"We can escort her out if you want us to."

Staring at my guest, I said, "She'll be leaving in a few minutes. I promise." I looked up at him and smiled. I placed my hand on top of his and said, "If there are any more problems, I will come for you."

He patted my shoulder and said, "I'll be right over there." He glared at my guest once more before walking away.

She placed her hands on the table and looked at me. "I apologize. I never meant to …"

"Doesn't matter," I interrupted.

Obviously, she's going to say what she wants me to know. "You need to understand. I'm not sorry that you don't agree with me but I do think that you need to realize that you are wrong. You and all of the others that think that human and vampires belong together are wrong. The human and vampire relationship was never meant to be. I know that I didn't say that at first, but I wasn't the one making all of the decisions. They told me what to do and I did it."

I was going to ask her who '_they_' are but it doesn't matter. The damage is done.

"Don't you want to have a normal life? Don't you want children? What about a man that can give you all of the things that every other woman in this world wants …happiness, true love, devotion, and normalcy? Sunshine, at least? I don't understand how you can love something that isn't alive. He isn't even human. Isn't there a warm man that you can be with …someone other than a vampire?"

"No. I have all of those things that you speak of. I or any other woman shouldn't have to settle for just anyone. I'm not going to settle for just anyone. I'm not going to give up on love and I'm not going to settle for any less than I deserve. I deserve a man that is going to love me, respect me, and honor me and I have that.

"No man in my life, past or present, has ever loved me as my husband does. No other man in my life has ever looked me in my eyes and told me that I'm beautiful and smart. They have never told me that they love the sense of adventure and acceptance that is a part of me. No other man has ever told me that he loves my soul, my spirit, and my strength. No man has ever made me feel as my husband does and no man ever will. I don't want to have a life of typical and easy. That's what I used to have and it bored me to tears. I want a life of joy and accomplishment. I don't want to be stuck in a dead end town with absolutely no friends and no life. I don't want to be with a group of people that have never liked me. They've never respected me. If I wanted a life of ordinary, I never would've gotten involved with vampires. This is what I want."

"Death," she said. "Are you saying that you want death?"

"No," I said. "What I'm saying is that I don't want to spend my life not knowing what else is out there. Being closed minded is not who I am or who I was raised to be. I don't want to spend my life living on a dead end road in a big empty house with someone that I've settled for."

She wanted to reach across the table and slap some sense into my head. She wanted to shake me until I've gotten over my love for my husband. She is filled with disappointment but I don't care. Eric has always treated me wonderfully and no matter how she tries to spin it, she can't discredit him. She can't destroy his character because I know what he is and what he's done for me. He would never destroy me as she believes he would. His past actions speak volumes.

"He was willing to give up his life for me. He was willing to give up his very freedom to keep me safe. It's about love. It's always been about love."

"You won't listen to me when all I want to do is to help you."

Sadly, the poor woman just didn't get it and I don't have time for it. I have more important things that I have to get done. Amelia, Kennedy, and Holly are just around the corner. I needed to get what I needed and send this person on her way.

I quickly reached across the table and grabbed her hand and I stared deep into her eyes. Once I had her, I told her what I wanted her to know.

"Do you really want to help me?"

"I do."

"Where's Steve Newlin?"

"Shreveport," she whispered.

"The Burner?" I asked. "Is he with him?"

She nodded.

"Do you know what they have planned?"

She shook her head no. "I've tried to get them to see another path but they won't listen to me. They want blood. They want death. I just believe in separation. I don't believe that there has to be bloodshed in order to get one's point across. I wouldn't condone that."

"Will you do me a favor?"

She nodded.

"You will not tell anyone that you've met me. You will not tell anyone that you know what I look like. Do you understand me?"

"I do."

"Give me the address to where Steve Newlin and The Burner are. I want to know when they will be there and how often they are there. I want any information that you have on them."

I slid a napkin across the table and took a pen from my purse. She wrote down everything that I asked her for. She slid the napkin and pen back to me.

"Thank you," I said. "I really appreciate this."

"You're welcome."

Still holding her hand, I said, "I wish that you weren't so …misleading. You had so much potential with the Tru Blood and all that. You go home and think about everything you've been told about vampires and humans. I want you to think about how wonderful they can be and how much they can love and how we can love them in return. Will you do that?"

She nodded.

"Now, stand up and get out of here. Never speak my name. Never say anything about my husband. Also, stand by your beliefs but see that there's always another side, okay? See why some of us believe the way that we do. We don't ask for much. We just ask for consistency and honesty. Can you do that?"

She nodded.

"Apologize to these people for ruining their happy time and be sure to apologize to Antoine when you walk up front as well."

"I will."

I released her hand and said, "Good-bye."

Just as she stood up from her chair, Amelia, Holly, and Kennedy were being led to the patio by Antoine. Amelia was watching the woman when she took her seat.

"Who in the hell is that?" she asked.

I waved my hand and shook my head. "No one at all." I smiled at Holly and Kennedy and said, "It's about damned time you ladies arrived. I'm about to starve to death."


	82. Chapter 82

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 83**

**I apologize for the delay everyone but I'm back and I have a few chapters of the story that I've completed. I have to through and edit them and as soon as I get them done, I will get them posted. I'm ashamed to say that I also had to go back through and reread the story. I never realized that there were so many editing mistakes. I have been going through and correcting some of those as well. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy and forgive my negligence. **

**You know which characters belong to CH and which ones belong to me.**

* * *

><p>Remy, Hunter and I sat on the bench and stared at the monkey enclosure. Hunter slurped on his ice cream cone and kicked his legs back and forth. I waited for him to respond to me. He wouldn't answer any of my questions on why he was talking out of turn and openly reading peoples' minds; especially since he's been taught and told that he should not do that. Even Remy's coaxing didn't help. Hunter didn't seem to be interested in anything I'd said to him. It was as if he hadn't heard me at all. So I had no choice but to wait.<p>

Remy looked at me and before he could say anything, I shook my head no. Hunter would have to do this on his own …with a little extra help from me and the innocent zoo patrons that will just so happen to stop in front of us. I hated to do this but I had no choice. We didn't have to wait very long. A lady and her son were going to be our unwilling victims.

They stopped and stood in front of the monkey enclosure …in front of us. They looked very happy. There were smiles on their faces. Love was in their eyes. They were pointing and laughing at the monkeys. Pretty soon, the lady placed her hand on her son's shoulder and stared off into nothing as he giggled at the monkeys that swung from limb to limb. He pointed at the mama monkey that was eating bugs off of the baby monkey's back. He said ewww to the monkeys that were playing in poop. It had been a good day for them … a misleading day but a good day for them none the same. The lady had something to tell her son and she didn't know how to tell him. She didn't think that she could tell him. She needn't worry. Hunter was more than willing to help her out.

Hunter stopped slurping on his ice cream cone and swinging his legs. He stared at the lady before he spoke. It was as if he was studying her and I could see that he was. That gave me my queue to let me know that he's aware of what he's doing. "Hey, Sarah," he said.

Sarah turned to face us and she smiled …nervously. She looked at me and Remy before she looked at Hunter. "Yes. Do I know you?" she finally answered. "Am I in your way?" She scooted off to the side with her hand protectively on her son's shoulder.

"Hunter," Remy said in a hushed voice.

I shook my head no. Remy needed to let this take place. Sarah saw me shaking my head at Remy and frowned. She looked from me to Remy and then at her son. She pushed him behind her and stared at us. She was afraid. She didn't know why we were watching her. She didn't know why I had a look of pity on my face. She didn't know why Remy was looking embarrassed. She didn't know why Hunter called her name. She didn't even know how he knew her name. She'd never seen that little in her life. And after today, she was going to hope that she'd never see him again.

"You can tell him. He'll understand. I understood it when my mom didn't come back home. She's been gone for a long time. No one's ever told me where she is." He looked at me and then smiled at the Sarah. "Maybe it's better this way. You won't be so sad anymore."

She looked terrified. Hunter went back to slurping on his ice cream cone as if nothing had just happened. It was if we hadn't just ruined their semblance of a good day. It was almost as if he didn't care.

"What does he mean, mommy?" her son said as he looked up at her. "Why have you been sad?"

"I'm sorry," I called out to her. She ignored me as she grabbed her son's hand and pulled him away from the strange trio of people sitting on the zoo bench watching her. "I'm really sorry," I whispered. I kept my eyes on the monkey enclosure as I spoke to him. "You didn't have the right to do that. You didn't _have_ to do that."

He said nothing. He continued slurping on his ice cream.

"I could have read her mind and told her that everything is going to be okay. I could have told her that we all have to do the hard stuff sometimes. I could have told her that he's wasn't happy with her because she'd changed so much since they'd gotten married. I could've told her where he's moved to and who he's with but I didn't." I looked down at the boy and said, "I didn't do it because I had no right. Her private thoughts are hers."

He licked the ice cream that had dripped on his hand.

"Would you like it if someone went into your head without your permission?"

He said nothing but he was thinking that he didn't have tell me anything if he didn't want to. He didn't have to worry about anyone getting into his head because they couldn't do what he does. His thoughts are his own. It isn't his fault that he's different. The world will just have to deal with it. They invade his thoughts so why couldn't he do the same to them?

I then thought of how he scared Agent Lattesta that fateful day at my house. I realized that I couldn't speak to Hunter as if he was the same five year old boy from that day. I see him for what he is now. He's my nine year old, telepathic cousin. He knows what he's doing and he needs to realize the repercussions of his actions. It's not a game.

"I can do what you can do," I said in his head. "I know your every thought. I know what scares you. I know everything that you think. I could tell your dad that you're the one that stole the five dollars off of his dresser and not Lucy. I could tell him that you scared his last girlfriend away on purpose ...just because you didn't like her." I tapped the side of my head. Verbally, I said to him, "Now, you will listen to me and you will tell me why you do what you do and you're going to tell me now."

He looked up at me with wide eyes. He couldn't believe I'd just spoken to him in that way. He looked at his dad as if he was waiting for him to say something to me. He expected Remy to tell me to leave him alone. Needless to say, Remy said nothing.

"Why did you do that? What gave you the right to invade her mind as you did?"

Then suddenly, I was bombarded with what he was really feeling. He didn't know how to tell me that he couldn't stop it. He didn't know how to tell me that he couldn't stand to see people hurting. He didn't know how to say that when he goes into their minds, he says things to make them feel better. He's always seen on TV that little children make people feel better but not him. He must be doing it wrong. He never makes any of the people that he 'helps' happy. He scares them. He makes them run away.

"I know," I said to him. "I've done what you do. I've read so many minds that I've lost count. I've scared tons of people."

He looked at me from the corner of his eye. For the first time, he looked embarrassed. "I was mad. That's why I did it. I don't mean to scare anyone."

I turned to face Hunter, with my leg tucked underneath me and an arm thrown over the bench. "I know. When I was little girl, my mommy used to be terrified of me. She thought that I was scary. She didn't know what to think of me or what to do with me so most of the time I was with my Gran. Being with Gran always made me feel like I was just like everyone else," I said with a smile. "She made me feel like I was just like everyone else."

_I'm so sorry_, Remy thought at me. I looked at him and nodded.

"I don't have Gran and I'm never going to feel like everyone else. I don't want to scare people. I don't want them to be scared of me." His little voice trembled as he spoke the words out loud.

Remy rested his elbows on his knees and bowed his head at his son's words. It killed him. It killed him to know that he couldn't do anything to make his son feel better. He'd tried telling Hunter that things were going to get better for him. He was going to make friends and he was going to be just like the other little boys in his class. For the first time, Remy realized that his words of comfort meant a lot to his son but they wouldn't change what his son felt, what he knows. He felt that there was nothing that he could offer his son.

"I don't want to be me anymore." He dropped his head along with his ice cream cone.

Remy turned to face his son. His hands were balled into fists and covering his mouth. Tears fell from his eyes.

"Oh, baby," I said. I pulled him into my side and kissed his head as I threw my arm over his shoulder. "I used to feel just like you do. People called me names and made fun of me. I hated being with others because they knew that I was different and they never let me forget that I was different but it was okay because I had Gran." I kissed the top of his head once more before I turned his little face towards mine. "And I know that you don't have Gran the way that I did but you have me and your daddy. You'll always have us. I will do everything that I can to help you. I don't want you to grow up as I did. I don't want you to be ashamed of who you are and what you can do."

His big blue eyes stared up at me. I knew that if he blinked the tears were going to fall. In my mind, he asked me, "You remember me, Sookie?"

For a second there he startled me but I smiled. In his mind, I answered, "I do. I remember you and I love you and I'll always be here when you need me. How long have you known?"

"The first day I came to see you, I remembered you," he said. "You just didn't remember me."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't realize …

He stared in my eyes and thought, "You left me alone. I thought I did something wrong and that's why you left me."

My hand went to my heart. "You didn't, Hunter. You did nothing wrong. It wasn't you. It was me. I left because I was ashamed of who I am. I don't want you to have to go through that. I want you to be proud and not sacrifice your happiness or your life because of a few ignorant people. Do you want to know why?"

He nodded.

"Because you're wonderful and you're you. You're the best Hunter Savoy in this whole wide world."

"I love you, Sookie."

Tears streamed out of my eyes. "I love you too."

He threw his arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. When he broke the hug, he looked at me and asked me another question in my head. "Why can't daddy remember you?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe it's because of Hadley or because we never had a relationship. That doesn't really matter. What matters is that he's a great dad and he loves you more than anything in this world."

I looked over at Remy and he was watching me and Hunter with complete and utter fascination. His mind was filled with as many questions as Hunter's was earlier. He wished that he could be a part of our little conversation. It didn't dawn on me until now that Hunter and I were being rude. Gran would have killed me for my rudeness.

Out loud, I said, "He's a good man, Hunter and he's doing everything in his power to keep you safe. You have to stop fighting against him. You have to use what I've taught you in order to keep you _and_ your dad safe. Your dad is doing all that he can to protect you. You're going to have to help him out. You have to stop what you're doing."

Hunter frowned at me as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "But I can …"

I shook my head. "There are no buts, Hunter. There are dangers that await you and your dad if you don't stop. There are people that are a lot stronger than he is and they will do anything to take you away from him."

For the first time since I've been working with Hunter, I saw fear in his eyes. Good, he needed to be afraid.

"Why do I need to be afraid?"

Remy decided to chime in. He slid in closer to me and Hunter. He looked at me before he began speaking. I nodded at him to let him know that it was okay. He needed to tell his son the truth. There is no point in hiding things from him any longer. He needs to know. "Look at me, son." Hunter turned to face his dad. "They will kill me in order to get to you. Some vampires and some of the other supes will do anything to have someone like you with them. You are powerful and you will give them power. I won't be able to protect you. I love you, Hunter but you're making it harder for us to stay safe."

Hunter looked at me for confirmation. "He's right."

Hunter fell quiet. I put up my shields as to stay out of his mind. He needed to take in what his dad had just said to him. He needed to fully understand that his dad will die if he doesn't change his ways. There is no room for error. He then scooted from my side and went to his dad. "I'll stop. I won't do it anymore. I'll do what Sookie tells me to do. I don't want anything to happen to you, dad. You're my best friend."

Remy wrapped his arms around his son and hugged him to him. Father and son stood in front of the monkey enclosure and basked in each other's love. I stood up from the bench and smiled at them. This was a very good day at work. One of the best days I've had in a very long time.

A little while later, I drove Remy and Hunter home. Remy and I sat in the car and watched Hunter as he ran to jump on the trampoline in the front yard of their home. Remy smiled as he watched Hunter. He was filled with love and pride. "I'm no good for him, Sookie. I can't help him. I can't keep him safe." He turned to look at me and his eyes were filled with pain. "What do I do?"

I told him in the simplest terms. "You keep doing what you've always done. You keep right on loving him and letting him know that you are going to always be there for him. When it comes down to it, you're all he has. I'm just his telepathic friend. One day, he's going to outgrow his need for me and he'll be on his own. That's what's supposed to happen but you're his daddy, Remy. You're with him every day." I gave him a smile.

Remy looked down at his hands and shook his head. "I only want what's best for him."

"I've never doubted you." I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Neither has he."

He gave me a half cocked smile. "I can do this."

"Yep."

"I can keep my boy safe."

"Yep."

We both looked out at Hunter and smiled. He waved at us as he jumped. His blond hair was flying in the wind. His infectious smile touched our hearts. He's going to be okay.

"You sure you're happy with that fella that you're with?"

I looked at Remy and filled the car with laughter. I shook my head as I stared at him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You just don't give up, do you?"

He raised his eyebrows and sucked his teeth. "Not when it comes to smart, beautiful, and talented women; especially women that love my son," he said. He shook his head and said, "Not a chance."

I cranked my car and said, "Good evening, Remy."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Get out of my car," I said as I laughed.

He looked at me one last time as he undid his seat belt. He was about to say something else but thought better of it. He opened the car door and got out. He then leaned down and peeked into the window. "I've got two tickets to the John Legend concert. I haven't found a date yet. It a month from next Saturday. If you change your mind and your man gets on your nerves, will you give me a call then?"

"Bye, Remy."

He laughed as he drummed along the roof of my car. "I tried."

As Remy walked away, I waved at Hunter and blew him a kiss. In his mind, I told him that if he ever needs me, all he has to do is call. "I'll be here. Nothing's going to keep me away."

He jumped and nodded. "I'm glad you're back."

"It's good to be back."

As I pulled out of their driveway, I saw Remy getting on the trampoline to join his son.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>"I'm home!" I yelled out as I walked through the door.<p>

I placed my purse on the side table and my keys on the hook. As I hung my jacket up on the coat hook, I closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet sounds and smells of home. I could hear the girls giggling. I could hear Foster and Mustapha in the kitchen talking... about recipes. Weren't they talking about recipes when I left this morning? It didn't matter. The house smelled absolutely delicious. Whatever Foster cooked for dinner, smelled absolutely divine. Everything was perfect. I looked at my watch and realized that it was 5:50. I made it home just in time to see Eric before he leaves for Fangtasia. In ten minutes, things would be more than perfect.

"Where is everybody?" I called out.

Just then, Sookie Jr. and Adele came running at me and they were all smiles. Their little faces were covered in chocolate. Their teeth were coated with chocolate. Their fingers were even chocolate covered. I could tell by the look in their eyes that pretty soon, I'd be covered in chocolate.

I stopped them with a look. "Don't either of you girls touch me."

They stopped dead in their tracks and looked at me. Adele looked as Sookie. Sookie looked at Adele. They both then looked at me. They started walking in my direction but very slowly and with their hands raised in front of them; the chocolate aimed at me and suit. I backed up a couple of steps but had nowhere to go. My backside hit the door.

"What did I say?"

They had evil smiles on their faces as they continued walking in my direction.

"I'm not playing with you girls. I mean it."

They were only inches away from me. Mustapha suddenly came from around the corner and he stood there and watched. I looked at him with pleading eyes. "Aren't you going to help me? They're going to ruin my suit. They're going to get chocolate all over me …maybe even the floor. We'll get ants!"

He pointed over his shoulder and said, "There's a mop in the kitchen and I'm sure that if we clean it up the ants will never know that there was chocolate on the floor."

"Are you serious?" I asked.

I raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly. "I am."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Mustapha, you're _going_ to help me." It wasn't a question. I was giving him a direct order and I expected him to follow it.

"No, ma'am," he answered. A sly smirk suddenly appeared on his face. "I recall a little lady holding me under the water not too long ago. I think we were in New Orleans. I remember telling her that she was going to pay." He laughed evilly. "It's time for her to pay. Get her, girls."

I looked at the girls and shook my head no. "If either of you touch me, there will be no dessert tonight."

They stopped in front of me and stared. They had looks of disbelief on their faces. I knew that would work. I'm still the queen of the castle.

Adele started laughing. "You're still the queen but it didn't work."

Sookie Jr. said, "We've already had dessert."

Before I knew it, I was on the floor and covered in chocolate kisses, giggles, and handprints. My suit was officially ruined. There was chocolate on the floor and I was sure that ants weren't going to be too far behind. My so called body guard was standing at the door laughing at me. "I'm sorry to leave you in such a quandary, mistress," he said. "But I have work to do." Before I knew it, the worst Were guard in the world left me to fend for myself against the chocolate bandits. I don't know how long I was under attack when Eric's voice filled the room.

"What's going on in here?" He was standing in the doorway looking. He almost looked perplexed.

I looked up from underneath my attackers. "Help me, Eric. They've attacked me. Get them off of me. Mustapha wouldn't help me. I can't fight them off on my own."

Eric inhaled and a frown appeared on his face. "Is that chocolate?"

"Yes," the girls answered in unison.

With the look that he had on his face, I just knew that he was going to be on my side. I just knew that the man that I love more than anything in this world was going to help me. As he always is, he was going to be my warrior, my protector, my dearest Viking.

"Don't get it on the floor."

I sat up quickly and yelled, "Eric Northman!"

He stood in the doorway and laughed.

Okay. This is funny to him. I spoke to the girls in their minds. They looked at me and giggled even more. They were off and running. I gathered myself up from the floor and glared at my loving and protecting husband.

"I have chocolate in my hair, Eric."

"You can wash it."

Just then, the giggling tornados returned and they were covered in even more chocolate than before. Sookie came over to me and smeared chocolate all over my hands. We all looked at Eric. The amused looked left his eyes. He almost looked confused. We started walking towards him.

He stood tall and my handsomely fantastic husband looked at us as regally as he possibly could. "I am a king."

"So," I answered. We continued to stalk him. He had the gall to laugh at us.

"What's so funny, Uncle Eric?" Adele asked.

"You ladies will never catch me. I'm faster than …"

Before he could finish his sentence, Adele had popped herself onto Eric's back and Sookie Jr. was wrapped her little arms around his legs while she sat firmly on his feet. His back and his legs were soon covered in chocolate. Adele was about to cover his face with chocolate but I couldn't let that happen.

"No," I said to her. "I want his face."

After looking at Eric's face, I can only imagine that is what mine looked like when neither he nor Mustapha would help me. I felt no pity. I wanted revenge and I was going to have my revenge. "You're my queen, Sookie."

"And I'll always be your queen."

A flash of something appeared in his eyes. I knew what was coming next. "But I love you, my lover."

"Oh, baby," I said. "I love you too." I cupped my husband's face in my hands and smiled at him. Pretty soon, the girls had covered his back and his legs in chocolate. He was soon on the floor and doing the best that he could to get them off of him but to no avail. They were stuck to him like glue and I loved it. I loved every second of what was happening before me.

I stood back and I watched.

This is my family now …my husband, my children. This is my family and whatever I have to do to keep us together, I will do. I can't let Jason and Michele down. I can't let these girls down. And especially Eric; I can't let my husband down. After all I've put him through, I owe him whatever I can give him. They need me. My family needs me. There is no in between.

"We'll be fine, Aunt Sookie," Adele said as she smeared chocolate through Eric's hair. "Grandpa Niall's coming and he's going to make sure that we all are going to be just fine."

Sookie Jr. looked at me and smiled. "Grandpa Niall always makes everything better."


	83. Chapter 83

**I Remember You**

**Firstly, I would like to apologize for the delay. I have been going through the chapters of the story and correcting the multitude of errors that I found. I'm not done by a long shot. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter. I will do my best to post the next chapter by next Saturday. I'm also going to do my best to fix my errors so that I can focus on completing the story.**

**Thanks for reading and sticking around.**

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><p>I replayed the events of our life over again in my mind as I stood in the middle of the room covered in blood …his blood.<p>

For past few months, we've had the greatest life. I expected to be where I am now but not so soon. I thought that we would have a little more time to just be a family before things began happening as they have. We were the happiest we've ever been. Eric and I had the family we never thought we'd have and we were taking complete advantage of it. There was no way that we were going to let this wonderful chance pass us by.

The chocolate war was just the beginning. We'd gone to Disney World. Eric had the entire park closed down just for us. He wanted to keep his girls safe …and we were. Guards ran the rides and chaperoned us the entire time. We watched the fireworks. We rode the backs of the elephants and fed them from our hands. We would have picnics out by our waterfall. We would swim and splash each other as we giggled uncontrollably.

At home, we would dance under the sprinklers at night under the stars. We would have barbecues and karaoke nights. We acted as families do. We had so much fun. Even enrolling the girls into the Supernatural Academy was fun. The night after we enrolled the girls in school was when everything changed. The girls, as always, threw me for a loop after they'd been tucked in.

'You have to let things happen, Aunt Sookie. You can't change them and you can't do anything about them." Sookie Jr. looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. "That's just the way it is."

"What are you talking about?" A frown appeared on my face. "Why can't I change what's going to happen?"

A sad look appeared on her face. I knew that she was thinking about Jason and Michele. Soon after, the memories of her parents flooded my mind. They were laughing and playing. They would fish out by the pond. They would have family cookouts and movie nights. They had a life and they had a family. The things that we'd been doing for the last few months are the same things they'd done with their mama and daddy.

Then she showed me her dreams. She showed me what she knew was going to happen to Jason and Michele. She showed me that they wanted to stop it; her and Adele. Her parents would have lived but not for long. What awaited them was much, much worse.

She showed me what would have happened if they had. Jason and Michele would have been captured and they would have been tortured. The girls would have been taken and their secrets discovered. A war would have taken place that would have claimed many lives; fae, vampires, and humans.

I suddenly gasped. I looked at the girls as my heart broke into a million pieces. Tears fell from their bright, blue eyes. "Oh, God."

They told Jason and Michele what they'd seen. They showed them what they'd seen. Jason and Michele wanted to run away with them and to never come back to Bon Temps. They told their daughters that they knew of a safe place …a safe place in a faraway land. They'd heard of the place from their Grandpa Niall. They all could've lived their lives out there but Adele and Sookie Jr. wouldn't do it. They didn't want to go. They wanted to stay and they were going to fight for their family. They told their parents that running wasn't going to help.

"It was going to happen whether we ran or not," Adele said. "We had nowhere to go where we would have been safe."

Sookie Jr. took my hand. "Life has to happen as planned. You shouldn't change what was and what is to what you wish could've been. It doesn't work. That's what you tried to do." She then shook her head. "You shouldn't have done that."

Her words took me for a loop. "How do you know what …?"

"I just do."

Jason was right. His girls are not your average five year olds. They don't speak in broken sentences. They know more than they should and they've seen more than young eyes should have to see.

"It's okay," Adele said. "That's the way it's supposed to happen. We're not afraid. It's just the way life is sometimes; especially for us. We've gotten through worse and we'll get through this together." She looked at me and smiled.

A frown slowly appeared on my face. "What do you mean?"

They fell silent.

I swallowed down my heart. Fear began to fill me. They knew something and I could tell from the looks on their faces that they weren't going to tell me but I needed to ask. "Why are you telling me these things? What do you know?"

Sookie Jr. and Adele stared at one another before either of them decided to answer me. Sookie Jr. spoke up. "We can't tell you. It has to happen if you want Uncle Eric to live. Don't you want him to live?"

A steady stream of tears rolled down my cheeks. "Of course I do. I love him," I whispered.

"Well, you can't stop what's going to happen. You can't stop it and he can't stop it. If you mess with it, you'll lose him and he won't be able to come back like you did."

My heart began to beat rapidly. My pulse was racing and my breathing was labored. Something is going to happen to Eric and there's nothing that I can do about it. He is the love of my life. He is my life. He's a part of my very being. I'll die without him. I can't have a life that doesn't include Eric. That was never a part of the plan. What would become of me? What will become of the children? I will be of no use to them. I will cause them more harm than good. I can't do this without him. That wasn't …

"You can't think like that, Aunt Sookie. If you do, you've sealed our very fate. We're all going to fall victim to your doubts."

A thought then hit me as I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand. Before he left for Fangtasia, Eric was in here with the girls and they were talking and whispering. When I entered the room, they stopped talking. He turned and looked at me before kissing the girls goodnight. When he stood in front of me and looked down at me, I saw something in his eyes. At that time, I assumed that it was love but now I see it for what it was.

"Does Eric know what's going to happen? Did you tell him?"

Sookie Jr. and Adele looked at each other and then at me. This time, Adele spoke up. She didn't say what I wanted to hear. As a matter of fact, she ignored my question altogether. "Uh-uh," she answered. "He knows some and he understands that things have to happen. He's been in this world for years and years and years. He's not afraid Aunt Sookie. You shouldn't be either."

I began to feel frustrated. "Stop talking to me in riddles. Tell me what you know." I closed my eyes and sighed. "I didn't mean to raise my voice but you have to tell me."

Adele looked at me and smiled. "We've told you enough. You just have to believe us. We want to stay here with you and Uncle Eric. We don't want to leave."

I stood up from Sookie Jr.'s bed and looked at them. "Don't do this. You can tell me more. I need to know more. We have to prepare for what's going to happen. Eric and I can win this. We can win this and our lives will be fine. You just need to tell me what you know."

They shook their little blonde heads from side to side and said no. Sookie Jr. said, "I'm sorry but we can't. If you let it happen as it's supposed to, we will win." She began to yawn. "You can't prepare for everything." She settled her little head deeper into her pillow and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Aunt Sookie. I love you."

"Please," I begged.

"Goodnight," Adele repeated. "I love you."

I knew that I was going to get no more out of them. I considered myself lucky to get what they gave me. I sighed. "I love you, guys too."

This conversation with the girls took place over three hours ago. I've been so rattled, that I've called Eric fifty million times to check on him. He knows why I keep calling him. It doesn't anger him. He's tolerating it in order to humor me. He answers each call and he talks to me as if it's the first time I've called him. He feels my fear but says nothing. I never mention what the girls have said and neither does he. I'm afraid to. We don't know what's going to happen. We don't know when it's going to happen.

So here I am, sitting in the gazebo with my cell phone at my side, basking in my fears. For the first time, in a long time, I don't know what to do. I don't know what I should do. It's hard for me to accept that I can't do anything if I want to keep my life as it is. I don't know how to handle this. How can we have our happily ever after if we don't know what to do? What to expect? How to prepare? How can we go on and not know what we're supposed to do?

I laughed at myself. We do this every day. We don't always know what to expect. We don't always get the chance to prepare for what's ahead and we are more than capable of going on without knowing what we need to do.

"Hello, my beloved."

I looked up to see Niall sitting across from me. As always, he looked as inviting as ever. He looked just as handsome and as charming as he always has. His silvery hair fell beautifully over his shoulders. The crinkles around his eyes made his smile even more beautiful and mesmerizing. He looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. I couldn't help but return his warm smile, though I didn't want to.

I wanted to be angry with him. I wanted to ask him why he sent me back here without an inkling of whom or what I was. I wanted to ask him why he didn't at least give me a warning when I asked him for the gift of happiness. I wanted to knock him on his ass. I wanted to scream at him and tell him to never come back here again. I wanted to choke the very life out of him for pretending to be someone else when he came to New Orleans to visit Eric. I wanted to ask him why he hid from me but I don't. I didn't do any of the things that I wanted to do.

I couldn't.

I can't.

I won't.

I see it all now. I know where I was and who I was with while I was gone. It's all because of Niall.

Because of him, I've gotten everything that I've ever wanted. Because of him, my every wish has come true. I have my strong and protective husband in my life. I have my brother's children with me. They are safe. My vampires are safe. My friends are happier than I've ever known them to be. And best of all, I'm happy with me. I'm proud of who I am and what I can do. I am Sookie Stackhouse-Northman. I'm a member of the royal family. I'm a Brigant and I'm a powerful and strong woman.

So, instead of being angry and saying all of the things that I wanted to say, I stood up from my seat and looked at my great-grandfather. "Hi, grandfather," I said. "I have missed you so."

I held my arms open to embrace him but he lifted his hand to me. He was offering me his hand to shake. Now that surprised me. This is not like my grandfather. He is a faery. We always want to hug our kin. It makes us feel closer to home when we hold one another. It makes our light brighter …our essence stronger. My grandfather taught me that and now he's offering me a handshake?

I returned to my seat and stared at him and this time when I look at him, I don't see the handsome man with the mesmerizing eyes and the beautiful silvery hair. He looks different. He doesn't look like my great-grandfather at all.

I sat tall in my seat and placed my hands on my lap. I looked as regally as I possibly could and said, "Tell me why you are here. Is all well in Faery?" That is my subtle way of asking him if he's okay.

Niall barely nods his head.

Now, I'm frightened.

"Are you well, grandfather?"

He ignored my question. "I'm here to discuss you and your vampire, my dearest one. Things are about to change."

I know that when Niall ignores a question, he is not going to answer and regardless of whom you are and what you mean to him, don't ask it again. When the time is right, he will address it but obviously he doesn't realize that I am the same Sookie that he took to Faery and I will not let this go.

"Have you talked with the girls?" he asked me.

"Sookie Jr. and Adele?" I asked. "Yes," I answered with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Then you know not to interfere." He lifted a frail hand and brushed a strand of graying hair out of his face. "You must let things happen as they happen."

"I know. They told me that." I scooted forward in my seat. "The only problem is that they haven't told me what it is that I can't disturb. How will I know when not to interfere when I don't know what I'm not supposed to interfere with? Are you going to give me a clue?"

Niall laughed heartily. "You haven't changed at all."

Cocking my head to the side, I stared into his eyes. "You have."

Again, he ignored me.

I dropped my shields and listened in on him. He's sick and he doesn't believe that he has very much life left in him. He's not afraid and when the time comes, things will not be as they should be in Faery. He's going to need me.

Before I could ask him what he means, the coldest look appeared in his eyes. "You know how I hate, Sookie."

I looked shyly away from him. Looking down at my hands, I said, "I apologize, grandfather but there's something wrong with you and you won't tell me. You are hiding something from me."

"In time dearest," he said.

When I looked up at him, tears were falling from his eyes.

In an instant I was kneeled in front of him and holding his hands. They were as cold as ice. Fear filled me. "Tell me, Niall. What has happened to you? Is there danger to the House of Brigant?"

He sighed. "That is of no importance right now." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Return to your seat so that we can talk."

I ignored him. "You can stay with us until you are well. The girls and I can give you what you need. You will be with your kin and we can help you. I can keep you safe."

He smiled at me with sad eyes. "Return to your seat, my child."

Reluctantly, I did as I was told but for me, this was not over. "Niall, I can help you. Just tell me what I have to do and I will do it. You're the prince. Our people need you." I scooted to the edge of my seat and said, "Just tell me and …"

"Enough," he said firmly.

"Yes, grandfather," I said as I straightened my posture.

"How is Foster working out?"

"She's doing great. The girls love her. She's spoiling them something terrible but after all they've been through, they need it."

Niall chuckled. "All fae children love her. Siddah and Afreda are no different."

"Siddah and Afreda …their fae names are Siddah and Afreda."

"Yes."

I frowned. "Are they full fae? Is that why they know so much? Where do their gifts come from? Jason wasn't gifted and I didn't know of my other gifts of until I went to Faery. They've never been to Faery …have they?"

Niall smiled. "Where do you think all special children come from, Sookie?" Before I could reply, he began speaking again. "Foster will take care of the girls for you while you're away."

I frowned at him. "I'm not going anywhere. Eric and I don't have any plans. When we travel, we take the children with us."

Weariness filled Niall's face. "Everything isn't always planned, dear one. Sometimes, things happen and we have to deal with them. Those things make us stronger and better. I thought you learned that."

"I did," I answered. "I'm just confused with what you mean. You and the girls keep talking but you're not saying anything."

"You're just not listening."

Frustration began to take over. "I am listening. You're just not telling me anything. What is going on? I had this same conversation with Amelia. You can't keep telling me to do this or that, don't do this or that without telling me why."

"Your worst trait has always been your impatience. You get that from Fintan, I do believe."

I could feel my insides begin to vibrate. I am beyond angry. I want to scream at him but I don't. I gave him a tight smile. "I appreciate the compliment but you need to tell me."

"Life is full of sacrifices. We don't want to or feel as if we should have to sacrifice everything that we've worked for in this life. Take you, for example. You sacrificed yourself for you vampires, family, and friends. You wanted total happiness without any regard to what you were doing. You didn't see that your actions were hurting those that love you. You didn't see that they needed you as you were. You saw yourself as being flawed and damaged when you were just as you were meant to be."

He sighed. "I did my best to talk you out of that blasted wish but you wouldn't listen to me. You think with your heart instead of with your head. You have no idea what you and Eric would have accomplished if you'd stayed true to who you were." In a far off voice, he said, "I never should've granted you that wish. It is my biggest regret."

"What are you talking about, grandfather?"

He blinked his way back to the here and now before he answered. "We are talking about sacrifices, dear. Some sacrifices have to be made. Some sacrifices are for the greater good. You may not see that now but you will." He nodded. "You will."

Just then, something inside of me told me to call Eric. An eerie feeling of stillness filled me. Just as I reached for my cell phone, it began to ring. I looked at the caller id and it was Pam.

"Hey. How's it going?" I was doing my best to remain calm but my voice has failed me.

"Is my master with you? He said that he was going home but I feel funny."

I looked at Niall as I talked. "I felt it too. Can you feel him?" I whispered.

"Yes," she said in her own matter of fact way. "But I can't feel him; if that makes any sense to you."

"I was about to call him but …"

"I tried and he didn't answer." Pam was silent.

"When did he leave?"

Pam didn't say anything.

"Pam," I yelled. "When did he leave?"

"Over an hour ago."

I thought of about the other night when Russell, Bart, and Bill were here. I thought of Eric's thoughts of giving himself up for me. My heart was beating in my ears.

"Call Bill," I ordered.

"I don't know where he is. He's not answering his phone either. He's supposed to be doing a job Eric."

"I'll call you back."

I hung up on Pam and dialed Eric's phone. Nothing. No answer. No voicemail. No nothing. I got nothing.

"It has started," Niall said.

"What has started?"

He looked at his useless watch and then at me. "Your vampire has been taken."

I began to panic and cry. My vibration filled the gazebo. Niall protected himself with his shields. He didn't leave. He remained seated until I gathered my bearings and calmed myself down.

"He's not dead, Sookie."

"Who took him?"

"You know who took him. He's alive. They are not going to kill him …not yet. You have time and you will succeed as long as you remain calm and plan. Don't act rashly, dear one. If you do, you will fail and he will die."

I inhaled deeply and let peace and serenity wash over me. "I understand, grandfather."

Niall stood up from his seat. He walked towards me and wrapped me in his arms. In my ear, he whispered, "I give you all that I am."

I hugged him tightly. "I love you, Niall."

"You've always been my favorite." Once that was said, Niall was gone.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>Niall and I had this conversation over a week ago. I did as my nieces and Niall told me to do. I let things happen as they should. Pam, Maxwell Lee, and Heidi looked for Eric. Mustapha and Bill helped me. Russell wouldn't take my calls. He was either always too busy or out for the evening but he did help me out but only after he'd gotten the gifts I'd sent him. I sent Russell flowers and a new purple velvet chaise lounge for his smoking room.<p>

He told me that his spy in the FoTSs group told him that they were going to go ahead with their plan to televise a vampire attack. He told me where to look and who to look for.

"I'll be with you, Sookie when it's about to happen. You will not have to do this alone. I am in your debt."

"Thank you, Russell."

"You're welcome," he said. "I am not used to doing this but I apologize for what has happened to you and your family."

"I appreciate that."

I could almost see Russell flipping his hand nonchalantly. "Oh, and if you see him, don't kill Steve Newlin. Remember, we need him. He has to be the one to televise the event. He has to be seen for the tyrant that he is."

"I will not kill him. I promise."

"Keep calm, Sookie," Russell warned me. "Your reputation for revenge is well known. Don't behave in a rash manner."

And I did as Russell told me to. I didn't behave impulsively. We planned and we worked together and by doing that, we found what we were looking for. Hell, we found more than we were looking for.

"Please, let me go," he begged.

His begging has really been getting on my nerves. I looked at him and shook my head. "No, I won't. I've been looking for you and now that I've found you, I don't think that I'm going to let you go so easily. That's not my style, Mr. Brunswick."

He looked around the room at the body parts of his cohorts. There were legs here and arms there. A couple of heads were sitting on the book shelf. There were a couple of feet on the couch. I looked at the mess that surrounded us and I smiled. It pleased me.

"I know that I should've calmed down before I came here but you took something that belongs to me and I want him back. Now, if you want to live, you will tell me where he is and who is holding him."

"I'm innocent," he proclaimed. "I haven't been with the FoTSs long. They don't tell me anything. They don't trust me yet. I swear it."

I squatted down in front of my victim and stared into his eyes. I've known for two hours where they have my husband. I know who's holding him captive but I'm not done here yet. Eric is safe and I will go to him just as I'm done with this piece of shit here.

"You're lying to me."

He yelled as loud as he could. "I'm not! I wouldn't lie to you."

"I see everything."

"I'm wouldn't lie to you," he repeated. "I'm not lying to you."

With my knife in my hand, I stood up and looked down at the man known as The Burner. This coward has killed many vampires. He has tied them to trees and watched as they burned. He's nailed silver nails into the palms of their hands and in their knees as they met the sun. He laughed as they screamed from the pain of the burning sun. He laughed as he and his now dead cohorts injected silver into the bodies of vampires. He felt no remorse, no guilt. He felt justified. They all felt justified.

"I'm going to kill you now."

I stood up and placed my blade to his throat and he yelled out. "Okay, okay," he said. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Please don't kill me."

"You can't tell me anything."

"I can. Whatever you want to know, I will tell you. I'll tell you where Steve Newlin is." He smiled triumphantly.

"He's in Las Vegas with my husband."

The Burner's mouth fell open from shock.

"You have my husband in Las Vegas. You have him a padded room and he hasn't fed in days. You have a girl chained in the room with him. You plan on televising it when you release him. You want the world to watch as he feeds from that girl. You want the world to see as he 'violently' attacks her and rapes her. Then the agenda of the FoTSs group will be complete. You will have shown the world that vampires are dangerous. Your bill to have them eradicated will be passed and you will have saved the world from a plague known as the vampire race." I tapped my foot and placed my thumb and forefinger on my chin. "Did I leave anything out?"

The Burner couldn't speak. He wondered how I knew. He looked around the room at the body parts and wondered which of them told me.

"No one told me," I said.

His eyes widened and his heartbeat quickened. "How did you …?"

I laughed. "I know, right? And you fear the vampire when you should fear me."

I don't know what I did to him but I do know that I am covered in his blood.

"Mistress, are you ready? The plane is ready."

I looked to my right at Mustapha and smiled. "Yes. Let me shower first and we will leave. Is the vampire clean-up crew here?"

"Yes."

"Good," I answered. "Let's get me home and at first dark, I want to leave. Make sure Bill is at the airport waiting on me. Call his day girl and tell her to pack his things and make sure everything is ready."

"Yes, mistress," he said.

"Cut it out," I ordered.

I shook his head as he looked around the room. "I don't know if I should. Look at what you've done to them. There were only three men in this room and it looks as if there were twenty." He chuckled. "I think mistress suits you just fine."

I playfully punched him in the arm. "Is the lady in the lime green suit in Las Vegas too?"

"Yes."

"Is she ready?"

"Yes."

"Pam hasn't drained her has she?"

Mustapha laughed. "No. She has been warned not to touch her. I stressed to her that we need the lady in the lime green suit."

I nodded and smiled. "Good. Now, come on. We've got to save my husband."


	84. Chapter 84

**I Remember You**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing the story. I'm glad that you all stuck with me during my long hiatus. I will also be posting to my next story as soon as I'm done with this one. As soon as this one is edited and completed I will start on my other story and I'll be on a roll. **

**Again, thank you all so much.**

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><p>When I called the girls to tell them goodnight, I knew exactly what was going to happen. They were going to do anything and everything they could to keep me on the phone and to keep from going to bed. My nieces remind me of Jason and myself when we were kids. I shook my head as I thought of them being just like any other child ...determined not to go to bed and now. I laughed as the girls asked me question after question about being on the airplane. Am I on Uncle Eric's plane? Is there a lot of room on the plane? Is there a lady serving us drinks? Are we watching movies? Did Maxie bring Breakfast at Tiffany's like he did when we went to Disney World? Question after question.<p>

"Are ya'll on the plane now, Auntie Sookie? I'll bet that you're sitting beside the window. She's like to sit beside the window." I could almost see Adele and Sookie Jr. as their pretty blonde heads bobbed up and down.

"Yes, we're on the plane and yes I'm sitting beside the window."

"Are you way up in the sky?" Adele asked.

"Duh," Sookie Jr. said. "They're on a plane. I'll bet they're very way up. Are you very way up?"

"Very way up," I answered. I smiled as their little voices echoed in my ear.

"Like high in the sky when we went to Disney World? That very way up?" Sookie Jr. asked.

I nodded as I answered her question. "Yes. We're that very way up. Now, you girls get to bed. We've played twenty questions enough for one night. It's 10:00. It's way past your bedtime. Both of you are going to be very tired tomorrow. You know that with me and Eric gone, Foster's going to make you both get up as if you're going to school. She's going to have you guys out in the yard working in the garden."

"We like working in the garden. Hey, can we sleep until eleven tomorrow morning?" They asked as if it was the least asked question in the world.

"No," I responded. "Your entire day will be gone. Now, go to bed, my little ladies."

"But we ain't sleepy," Adele said.

"Ain't is not a word. We don't use the word ain't." Michele hated to hear them say that word. I am going to make sure that everything she was trying to teach them, we carry on.

"Okay," they said in unison. "We're still not sleepy. When will you and Uncle Eric be home? He knows that you're coming. He's excited about seeing you. He misses you a lot. Just as much as you miss him. He's sad all of the time though. He wants to come home." Sookie Jr. said.

Bill looked up when the girls said that. Vampire hearing can be the pits sometimes. From the look on his face, he's wondering how the girls know what Eric's thinking and what he's feeling. He's wondering if Eric has given the girls his blood. He needs to but he hasn't. We've come to realize that he doesn't have to. They're connected to him without it. Yet and still, Bill and I are going to have to have a little talk about my nieces before this night is over.

The girls began to giggle. "When ya'll come home, Foster said that we can stay the night with her in the guest house so that you and Uncle Eric can be alone. You guys kiss too much." Adele began to giggle loudly. Sookie Jr. began making kissing noises.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "We'll see about that when we get home. Now, get to bed and give your sister a for us. We love you and we won't be gone long. I promise. Let me speak to Mustapha, please."

"Goodnight, Aunt Sookie," they said. "Uncle Papa is standing right here but can we say goodnight to everyone first?"

"Make it quick," I ordered. I always have to tell them to make it quick because they will say goodnight to each and every one of their friends by name. They do it every single time.

"'Night, Auntie Pam and Auntie Heidi," they called out.

I closed my eyes as I realized that the tonight's goodnight game was going to be like every other one.

"Good night, sweeties," Heidi said with a smile.

As usual, Pam was short with them. "Good night and get your little asses in bed. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"No," Adele yelled out. "We don't go to school on Saturdays."

"You need to stop cussing so much," Sookie Jr. said.

Pam ignored her comment as she addressed Adele's. "What a shame. That should be mandatory; going to school on Saturdays. I'm going to contact the headmaster at the school to see if they can't get that changed. It's not fair that you little monsters get to run around free for two days." And from the look on Pam's face, she was as serious as she ever is.

"Don't swear at them, Pam. I read that children are impressionable." Thalia looked stern and as serious as always. "They'll go to school using such language and will be reprimanded. It is believed that most children get such language from their fathers. You are not a father so therefore, you should be more careful of your word choice around the children. Swearing in front of the children is Eric's job."

My mouth dropped open from surprise.

"Go to hell, Thalia," Pam said.

"Ah-ahhhh," the girls replied. "Hey, Auntie Thalia!" they yelled out excitedly. "Goodnight!"

She nodded instead of saying it back to them. The girls are crazy for her. If truth be known, she's their favorite. The girls love the piggyback rides and the sweet snacks that Auntie Thalia sneaks to them. Eric has told Thalia that the snack sneaking was going to have to stop ...Wavy Lays and Doritos. Thalia didn't listen. Eric punished her by making her watch the girls. She pretended to be upset about it but secretly, she loved it. And he knew that she would.

"Goodnight, Uncle Maxie."

"Goodnight, ladies. I'll see you soon."

"Have you said all of your goodnights? I hope so because it's getting later and later."

"Goodnight, Uncle Bill."

That surprised me. I didn't tell them that Bill was with us and I sure as hell didn't expect them to call him Uncle but I wasn't going to tell them that he isn't their uncle. He saved their lives and watched over them when Jason and Michele were alive and while I was gone. It's obvious that the girls feel something for him and I'm not going to take that away from then. They've already lost so much.

"Goodnight, girls," he replied with a nod. His cool brown eyes sparkled at their endearment.

"I need to speak with Mustapha now. Goodnight."

"Can we say goodnight to the pilot?"

"No," I answered. "Get to bed and put Uncle Papa on the phone. I love you."

"We love you too. We love you, too" they yelled to their vampires. They all returned the sentiment ...even Pam.

When they finally handed Mustapha the phone, I could hear their little feet pattering against the floor as they ran down the hallway giggling. "Hello, Sookie. How's it going?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's going as good as expected. It's the same as it's been since they took him. I want him. I need him and I can't wait to see Eric. Once we get him home, our lives will go back to the way they were. Eric and I will be together and our family will be whole again. I will be whole again." I could feel the tears beginning to build up so I quickly changed the subject. "How's it going there? Is everything okay? Are the girls getting on your nerves yet."

He laughed. " They're as much of a handful as they usually are. Other than that, it's great. The house is secured. The vampires are on patrol. Amelia is coming by tomorrow to take the girls to the spa for a mani/pedi …whatever that is. Foster's going with them. Oh, and your realtor called. Your house has been sold. Once they return home, the girls, Foster and I are going to go to the house and get the rest of your pictures and your other personal things. Is there anything else that you need us to do?"

"No." I looked off into the air. Nothing that he could help me with.

"Are you sure? My day is pretty much free after three."

I thought about what he'd said and shook my head. "No, I'm good. Thanks for staying with the girls. We do appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. I enjoy them."

"Kiss them for me?"

"I will. Stay safe, Sookie …all of you. They need you and Eric to return to them in one piece. They need _all _of you to return to them. Those girls have been through enough." I could hear the concern and love in his voice. "I don't want them to lose ya'll too."

I looked at my friends and smiled. "We will be. Goodnight, Mustapha."

"Goodnight, Sookie."

When the call was over, my vampires went about their business and discussed the adventures that awaited us. Bill and I remained seated in the sitting area. I could feel his uneasiness as he shifted uselessly in his seat. "The girls seem to be very happy."

Nodding, I said, "They are."

Bill's nervousness filled the room. We haven't spoken to each other since the meeting at Russell's compound and then we only talked about the plan to get Eric back. I didn't know what to say to Bill. I didn't know how to take him. The memories of when I first met him kept replaying in my mind. I was so in love with him. There was a time when I couldn't imagine being without Bill but now ...I feel so silly. Like a teenage girl. I can't help thinking of how he manipulated me …used me …betrayed me. I thought he loved me. I think I took his mistreatment of me because he was my first boyfriend …ever. I'd never had anyone tell me that they love me or that I was special ...no one other than Gran. I never had anyone accept me for me …until Bill. I was so young and so naïve. I was so young and stupid. And then I realized that I can't blame everything on him. I let it happen. After he left me stranded in Dallas without checking to see if I was okay, I took him back. He left me for Lorena and I was okay with him, yet again. Bill. I looked at Bill and smiled.

"I should hate you for all that you've done to me. I should hate you to your very core."

His face went flaccid …emotionless. But his eyes showed me something completely different. It pained him to think that I could ever hate him …even though he deserves it. "I had no choice in what I did. When Sophie Ann gave an order, she expected it to be followed. She was my queen."

I sighed and shook my head at Bill. What I was hearing was completely unbelievable. He was still singing that same old song. After all of this time, he still won't take responsibility for what he did to me. "Yeah, you did, Bill. You had many choices. You can't keep blaming everything on Sophie Ann. When are you going to take responsibility for your actions?"

Bill no longer had that flaccid and emotionless look on his face. He looked confused. "Tell me what I could've done to make things right with you. Tell me what I could've done about you and Sophie Ann."

This was going to be easy. "You could've told me when our relationship became serious. You could've warned me about Sophie Ann. You could've told me that Hadley told her vampire lover about me. You could've given me a choice in what I wanted to do. If you truly loved me as you said you did, you would have told me. Instead, you told me nothing. Bill, our entire relationship was built off of lies and intimidation."

His back went straight. "I never intimidated you."

"Liam, Diane, and Malcolm."

He said nothing.

"You did that so that I would think that all vampires were evil. You wanted me close to you at all times. You made me believe the most horrible things about Eric when they were nothing more than lies. Just so I could trust you; tell you my secrets ...let you into my bed. Just so you could take me to your precious queen. You only needed to be honest with me."

He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. "I appreciate how you feel but she would have killed me. I know that I was wrong but I was afraid of her, Sookie. She was sadistic and evil. You saw what she did to Whit. She would have done worse to me."

"And you came to take me for her knowing of her cruel and sadistic ways," I said. "You were willing to give me to her just so you could live? You were willing to condemn me to a life of slavery and the possibility of being turned against my will by her just so you could have a chance? Do you have any idea how that sounds …how that makes me feel?"

"I kept the secrets because I was protecting you. I was keeping you safe, Sookie."

"Cut the shit, Bill."

Pam's laughter filled the air.

"It was never about protecting me. It was about protecting your secrets, your lies. The queen wanted to harness my gifts for her use only. She wanted me as her pet. If it was ever about protecting me, you would have told me. You wouldn't have let me go to New Orleans with my panties down around my ankles. You would have prepared me for what was possibly waiting for me. That would have been protecting me. Saving me. Loving me."

He opened and closed his mouth.

"We've known each other for a few years, Bill. We are no longer lovers. Before I died, we were supposed to be friends. Were we ever friends, Bill?"

He looked hurt at my question. "How can you ask me that? Since I will never have you as my lover again, I will settle for being your friend. I will always be your friend."

I looked at him and smiled. "Tell me the truth." I shrugged my shoulders and said, "You have nothing to lose now. Just tell me."

Bill leaned back in his seat and stared at me. "I didn't know you then. I didn't care one bit about what she would do to you and why she wanted you. You were nothing to me. You were just another human that my queen wanted and you were beneath me. If my queen wanted you, then she was going to have you. I was going to do as she wanted so that she could get what she wanted but something happened. You weren't what I expected. You fearlessly saved my life. You fought for me after meeting me for no more than five minutes. You weren't afraid of me. You sat out in the woods with me while I healed. I could've drained you of every drop of your blood but you stayed. From that moment on, I was intrigued by you. You were accepting of me …you and Adele. After I got to know you, I had no intentions of giving you to her. I grew to love you."

"Thank you for your honesty but if you could lie to my face as you did; so easily, so effortlessly, you were never in love with me. You loved the idea of me. You loved the idea of not being alone because who wants to be alone, right? So much has happened between us, Bill but if we are being truly honest here, I was in love you but you …you were never in love with me. You were willing to throw me to the wayside for vengeance while we were in Dallas. And stupidly, I took you back. Lo and behold, you did it again. You left me for Lorena. You left me ...alone. Without a single word ...no goodbye, no I'll see ya later, no nothing. You passed me off to Eric."

Bill looked at me but he wasn't seeing me. He was thinking of what I'd said to him. For the first time since I'd found out why he'd been sent to Bon Temps, he couldn't justify his actions. He wasn't going to. There was no justification in what he'd done to me. He was finally taking responsibility for what he'd done. There was something else that we needed to discuss ...I needed to discuss. I needed closure.

"You raped me."

I was suddenly surrounded by vampires. They had dropped fang and they were growling. They were ready to kill him.

"Does Eric know this?" Pam asked.

"He does and we've discussed it."

"And what did he say?" Pam asked firmly and little louder than necessary.

I looked up at Pam and smiled. "We've discussed it. I wanted to kill him. Eric wanted to kill him." I then pointed at Bill. "As you all can see, we changed our minds. Eric changed his mind."

"_You_ changed his mind," Maxwell Lee said. "Eric would have never let him get away with violating you. He should die for what he's done."

I looked at Bill as I relived that night in my mind and to my friends. They needed to hear the truth. "It happened a few years ago while we were in Jackson. Russell and Lorena had taken him. They'd chained Bill with silver in the slave quarters of Russell's home. They wanted his computer program. He'd been tortured and beaten. He hadn't fed in awhile. He was torn ...literally. To make a long story short, Eric helped me get Bill to safety. He got a car. I staked Lorena and put Bill in the trunk. I drove to Alcide's apartment building and parked it in the underground parking garage. Bill didn't know I'd saved him."

"Sookie, I didn't know …," Bill began.

I stared at him as I continued. "I opened the trunk to check on him once we were parked in the darkest corner of the garage. When I did, Debbie Pelt pushed me in the trunk with him. I'd been locked in the trunk with a hungry vampire. I was terrified. I was locked in there from morning until dusk. I had no way out. I had no one to save me until Eric woke up."

With that being said, my vampires' fangs returned to their hidey holes. They seemed to understand where this was going.

I shook my head as I said, "He didn't know. He'd almost drained me and he'd raped me. And as usual, Eric saved me. So you see, he didn't do it on purpose. I do believe that if he'd known that I was there, he wouldn't have done it." Even as I said that, I doubted my words. I remembered the night I nipped at his neck and he told me that if I didn't stop, he would have me whether I wanted him to or not. I looked down at my hands as I pondered the night he raped him. I wonder ...

"I'm sorry," Bill whispered to no one in particular. "I didn't know."

Pam, Maxwell, Heidi, and Thalia understood. They understood the effects of being tortured with silver and not being fed. They understood that it takes a toll on the vampire and it causes them to do things that would normally be out of character. They've probably been there.

"Now, if you don't mind, I would like to speak with Bill alone."

Pam, Maxwell, Heidi, and Thalia looked at Bill with understanding yet angry eyes. Pam decided to address him before leaving. "We understand your plight, Bill. After all, we are vampires. We have been punished and tortured. We have had to do things in order to heal." She did a very human thing and shrugged her shoulders. "But if you ever touch _her_ again, I will kill you. I will not apologize for killing you. I will not feel bad for killing you. Just know that I will kill you. Regardless of what Eric or Sookie says, you will meet the true death. I will accept whatever punishment is handed down to me but I will kill you. I swear to you on all that I am."

Bill nodded. "I understand."

With that said Pam and my vampires left the room.

As far as I was concerned, the matter was discussed and over. "Did you remember me when you approached me in the parking lot at the restaurant? Did you know who I was?"

He shook his head no. "I did not. I remembered your scent in Eric's New Orleans compound. The night of our meeting, I could smell you. Your scent was all over him." A sad look appeared on his face.

"I figured as much. I didn't remember you either. I didn't even remember you when I went to my farmhouse in Bon Temps. I didn't remember you until Eric told me about us a few nights ago."

Bill looked surprised. "Eric told you about us?"

"Yes," I answered simply. "Why wouldn't he tell me? He loves me. He tells me everything. He wants me and because he wants me, he told me about my past and you are a part of that past."

He whispered, "That he does." He then looked at me and said, "When you returned home to Bon Temps that night, I knew that you were alive. I could feel you …almost. Sookie, the night you returned, I returned to life again."

I cocked my head to the side and returned his stare. "I don't think I was supposed to remember you."

Bill closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headrest. "After all that I've done to you, maybe you shouldn't have."

"You're wrong. No, I should remember you. What we had wasn't all bad. You taught me to control my gift. I loved you. I wasn't lonely anymore because of you. You took me outside of my comfort zone. I got to meet new people. Go to different places. I'd never been out of Bon Temps until you. I appreciate that. I appreciate you, Bill. You saved me a couple of times. In the end, I considered you a friend and I should remember you. Because of you, my life has changed. My life is good. How can I live my life without you in it? How different would my life be if I'd never met you? I wouldn't have met and married Eric. You wouldn't have saved me from Neave and Lochlan. You saved our nieces and sent them home to us. Can you imagine what my life would be like? I'd probably still be working at Merlotte's and reading the minds of those drunk and hateful people." I shuddered at the thought.

Bill chuckled. "You could've ended up marrying Sam."

Sam Merlotte…I remember Sam.

I joined in on Bill's chuckle. "God, no. I couldn't imagine such a fate. Not even in my wildest dreams."

He looked at me and this time, I could see his remorse. I could see that he had taken responsibility for all he'd done. So, I stood up from my seat and took the seat next to Bill's. I leaned my head against the headrest. I rolled my head in his direction and smiled. "I could never hate you, Bill. I don't think it's in me. Don't get me wrong …I've tried but it never seems to work out as I plan." I giggled. "The night that I 'died', I remember what I said to you. I'll never forget it."

"Hmm?" he said.

"No regrets, remember? We can't live with regrets."

He nodded and smiled.

"I had to learn that the bad things that happen happen for a reason. They make us who we are. They make us strong. They make us weak. They make us want to run and change everything that we are but in the end, it doesn't work. We are who we are. We have to accept it. We learn from it and we go on. Just like us. We shared some good times. We had a few laughs. We've had our share of bad times and I've shed quite a few tears but it's okay." I looked at him and nodded my head. "It's okay."

Bill mimicked my movements and sighed as he rolled his head in my direction. "Thank you." He reached for my hand but quickly pulled it back. He must've remembered Pam's warning. "Forgive me," he said.

I took his hand in mine and said, "I already have. Oh and Bill?"

"Yes, Sookie?" he said.

"I may have forgiven you for what you did to me but if you do to my girls or to Hunter what you did to me, there will be no forgiveness because there will nothing of you left to forgive." I looked deep into his eyes because I wanted to let him know that every word I'd just said to him, I meant with everything in me. "You'll be dead before you realize it."

He nodded his head at my promise.

"Friends?" I asked.

"Always," he said.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>When we landed in Las Vegas, we weren't surprised to see that an entourage was waiting on us. The king of Las Vegas had his best vampires waiting for us. He was more than prepared for our arrival. There were guards and cars waiting for us at the airport. They were heavily armed and ready to fight. They surrounded me and my vampires. As far as Rasul was concerned, we were going to be safe. I knew without a doubt that once we got to his compound, we would get right down to business. And I was right. He was waiting in the conference room for us.<p>

As soon as we were seated around the table, I asked the million dollar question. "Where is he?"

Rasul smiled. "It's good to see you, too, Sookie."

"Thanks," I said. "It's good to see you. Now, where is my husband?"

"The FotSs have him. Last night, they moved him at the Light of Day Institute. He's in the white room. The white room is just off of the stage where he will be displayed for all to see. Russell's boy said that Eric is as safe as expected. Unless you count the silver shackles that they have him in, he hasn't been harmed in any other way. Oh, and they aren't feeding him. They want him to be just right when it happens."

I looked at my watch. "When will everything be ready?"

"Everything is already in place. They have a young blonde woman that they are going to use to entice him. She's a known fangbanger. She's in a different room than he is; ready for him to take her."

"Blonde?" I asked.

"Yes," Rasul answered. "They believe that he prefers blondes. It's known that he's in always in the company of a blonde ... a faceless blonde. They just can't seem to find out who she is. Since they couldn't get to her, they've found a substitute."

I smiled as tears fell from my eyes. I could suddenly feel him. For almost two weeks, I haven't felt him at all and now I can feel him. I feel alive again. Relief fills me completely.

"He's close by," Pam whispered. She made a very human noise and sighed. "My master is fine."

I looked over at her and nodded. "Yeah, he is fine." I sighed. "He's fine."

"We've been keeping an eye on him. Other than the burns from the silver and the lack of feeding, he's doing well."

"And Steve Newlin?" I asked. "Where is he?"

"He's staying at his heavily guarded house two miles away from the LoDI. We've been keeping tabs on him as well." With an evil smile that I'd never seen on Rasul's face before, he said, "We will take him and he will pay for what he has done."

"But not before he's been seen for what he is," I said.

"Not before," he confirmed.

"Is Warren here?" Pam asked.

"Yes," Rasul nodded.

"Do I go in tonight?" I asked Rasul. I tried to keep the anxiousness out of my voice but I couldn't. I haven't seen Eric and I need to see him, touch him. I want him back with his family. I couldn't risk popping in to see him in case. I could be seen on camera and we can't risk that. "I want to go in tonight. I have to see him."

"Yes. Russell's human looking vampire, Bernard, will be waiting for you. He's glamored the men guarding Eric's room and the room you will be occupying. As soon as we've taken care of the guards outside of the LoDI, we will proceed." Rasul then rested his elbows on the table. "May I ask you a question, Sookie?"

"Sure."

"How are you going to replace the girl they're holding? She looks nothing like you. She looks like your common, everyday fangbanger. You, you're a queen. Your beauty outshines hers. As always, you have me intrigued."

I smiled shyly at him. "Thank you for the compliments, my friend but I'm not going to tell you. Some things a lady has to keep to herself."

He smiled. "You are amazing, Mrs. Northman."

"She really is," Bill whispered.

"You men flatter me," I replied. "Once we get the girl out, Thalia and Heidi will take her to the airport. There she will be sent to Virginia and given a new identity and some cash to get her new life started."

Pam then said, "And when that's done, it'll be smooth sailing from there. Russell will be here tomorrow night. He wants to make sure Steve Newlin doesn't get away. He's going to have all exits covered."

Bill nodded. "Bart should be here already. He has connections with the police department. They're going to be on standby."

Pam then looked a Rasul and asked, "Who's televising this potentially violent event? I know they're not going to show it on CBS. A public television station showing anything remotely adult and possibly violent; that's never going to happen."

Rasul laughed heartily. "Not at all. It's a pay-per-view event. It's already considered the biggest and most popular selling event in the history of pay-per-view. They've made over $10,000,000.00. It's going to be televised tomorrow night."

"Good," Maxwell Lee said; finally making his presence known. "Those fucking humans; their plan is going to blow up in their smug, unforgiving faces. I can't wait for them to get what's coming to them."

Rasul's phone began to ring. Every ear in the room perked up. Every voice fell silent. The room went completely still.

"Speak."

Fangs fell. Vampires were soon standing and nodding their heads along with whatever was being said on the phone. Their eyes were gleaming. Growls were building up in their chests. They were ready to fight. Hell, they were ready to kill. Everyone knew what was going on but me.

I wanted to know what was being said. I may be able to do a few things that vampires can do but I don't have that super hearing. I was the only one in the room that had no idea of what was going on. The vampires began scampering about. I, on the other hand, remained seated. Then Rasul stood up to leave. And get this, so did the others.

"Okay, guys," I announced. "What about me? I don't get to know what's going on?"

They each looked at me as if I should already know what's going on. Needless, to say, I didn't have a clue.

Bill said, "It's time to go in. Your window of opportunity has been opened. We have two hours to you in and get the girl out. Are you ready?"

I jumped up from my seat; smiling and ready to fight. "I've been ready. Let's go and get my husband."


	85. Chapter 85

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 85**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I appreciate you all for sticking around and enjoying this story. I have had so much fun writing it and knowing that people are actually reading it. You guys are great. **

**The characters do not belong to me but the story idea is mine.**

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><p>It took less than an hour for us to get to the LoDI (The Light of Day Institute). We stood on the hill and looked out at the humans that were standing guard. Most were adults but some were children. They were <em>children<em>. They were so young and so easy for Steve Newlin to manipulate. He fed into their fears with lies and propaganda. He made them believe that the tales of the boogeyman were true. I could see in their young eyes and minds that they believed everything he'd said to them. They believe that they will be drained if they cross the path of a vampire. They believe that vampires watch them as they sleep and they can get into their dreams. Steve has made them think that once the vampire has gotten you're your dreams, you are theirs for the taking. They didn't stand a chance. The vampire has evolved. The humans don't even to have to look into the vampire's eyes anymore. They get into your dreams and bam …that's it. The vampire has them right where they want them. They will become a shell of their former selves …if the vampire lets them survive.

"I pity them," I whispered. "I pity the children."

"What?" Bill asked me.

I'd forgotten that I wasn't alone. I looked at him and shook my head. "Nothing," I answered. "I was just thinking out loud."

"Sookie, if you need, I can carry you through the darkness," Rasul offered. "It's 3:00 a.m. There is no way you will be able to find your way down this hill without hurting yourself. Eric will be very …unhappy if something happens to you. And I am not willing to have to deal with a thousand year old vampire that's in love."

Pam chuckled at Rasul's offer. "Maybe she can carry you." She looked him up and down before she spoke again. "You don't look to be too heavy. What do you weigh …250, 260?" Thalia and Heidi agreed with her sentiments.

Rasul laughed heartily. "She's human. There's no way she can see the hidden dangers that lay before us. Don't get me wrong. I've heard of her amazing abilities but this," he said as he pointed out into the darkness. He then shook his head no. "I will not allow her to go down this hill without my protection. I will carry her."

Thalia and Heidi sniggered silently. Maxwell Lee stood behind me and he stood tall and proud. Even Bill was smiling. He doesn't know of the things that I can do but he has an idea. He can see the differences in me.

Staring down at the LoDI building I pointed and said, "There are three men standing on the other side of the building. I can hear them. I don't think you can. Do you see those two guys out by the trees to the left of the van?"I asked Rasul as I pointed. "They're about two miles out."

Rasul didn't bother to look because he knew that he couldn't see them. Instead, he looked at me.

"I didn't think so. They all have silver tipped wooden stakes hidden in sheaths inside of their jackets. The two girls sitting at the picnic tables are vampire bait. They have been placed there just for you. They have pretty little faces and they have sweet blood. They'll smile at you and try to get you to feed from them. Don't fall for it. Their skin is coated with body silver. As soon as you touch them, you'll burn and you'll be staked without ever knowing it."

I then pointed to the top of the roof. "There are three men up there. They have rifles with scopes on them. Wooden and silver bullets are loaded in them. They also have silver netting. They aren't supposed to kill the vampires if they can help it. They want to take as many vampires as they can." I cocked my head to the side. "They're also former Navy Seals. They're looking in our direction right now. They can sense that we are here. Poor, fools," I said.

Bill went on the alert. He was about to go for them but I stopped him.

"They can't see us."

His normally cool face was now a look of surprise. "How is that possible?"

I smiled but didn't answer his question. "I'll take care of them. Don't move from this spot. If you do, you will die."

Before Rasul could stop me, I was on the roof. One by one, the snipers were silenced. Their guns were no more than kindling. Their bullets were destroyed. They never knew that I was there. They'll sleep up until their shift is over. When they wake up, it'll be as if nothing ever happened.

"Okay," I announced when I returned. "It's good to see that everyone's still with me."

"What the hell?" Rasul said as he and Bill jumped.

"How did you … Where did you … Did you kill them?" Bill asked me.

"No," I said. "I don't kill unless I have to. Be sure to take the special contacts out of their eyes. If you don't, you won't be able to glamor them. It's easy to do." I showed them the contacts that I'd removed from the Seals' eyes but I don't think anyone but my inside crew noticed.

Rasul and Bill nodded their heads absently.

I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. "Okay, you two. Get it together. Don't forget the contacts."

Again they nodded their heads.

"This bitch is fierce," Pam said.

When I looked into her eyes, I could see that Pam has a whole new respect for me. We high fived and winked at each other. That's when we heard it. Warren's howl filled the night air. The vampires and I went on alert. We were ready. The signal had been given but the air around us suddenly changed and I didn't like it.

"Spread out," Rasul ordered with a deadly gleam in his eyes. He looked in the direction of the hidden men. "I'll take the humans with the silver tipped stakes." His fangs dropped in anticipation. "I want them."

"No killing," I said. "That's not part of the plan. We don't kill anyone."

Rasul growled and dropped fang on me; not in anger but he did it just the same. My vampires returned his act of aggression as they surrounded me, protected me. I don't even think he noticed he was so caught up in his emotions.

"I'm tired of these fucking FotSs pieces of shit." His accent was stronger with each word he's spoken. "What gives them the right to vilify us as if we are animals? They don't have the right to treat us as if we are less than they are. We are the higher beings. They bow down to us. We helped to build this world. No. Fuck that. We built this world. This world is ours. We were here first. We are the rulers of this earth. We allow them to live here and they need to learn their places.

"We will hide in the shadows no longer. We should fear for our lives no longer. Our brothers and sisters will not be silvered and nailed to trees by these monsters. Every supernatural being of this world will walk proudly and without fear after tonight." He looked down at me …right in my eyes. "We will get your husband out and once we do, we will destroy this faction. We will kill them all."

Pam's Victorian accent soon came to the forefront. "My master's in there. We will not put him at risk. We are not going to deviate from this plan. Once we're done, you can do as you please but not before we get Eric out of that building. I won't let you or anyone else but my master in danger."

I was going to hold Rasul's in hand in mine in order to calm him but I thought against it. I was not going to use my influence on him to get him see that he was wrong. I was going to use pure reason. Once I explain to him why he's wrong, he will ask for my forgiveness and he will understand. He will see that right now, violence is not the answer.

"You're right, Rasul. Everything that you've said is absolutely true but we can't and we won't win that way. I'm not saying that your feelings of anger are not valid because they are. What I am saying is that you can't solve every problem with violence; especially not this one."

"Do you think that I didn't want to kill those men on the roof? They are the ones that took my husband as he walked to his car that night. They didn't care that he was on his way home to his wife and children. They didn't care that we would miss him. They didn't care about him at all. All they saw was a vampire, a monster, a creature that goes bump in the night. They didn't see a father and a husband. They didn't see him as our protector. They didn't see him as my warrior, my lover. I could've killed them all for what they've done but I didn't. You have no idea how much I wanted to. I wanted to taste their blood. I wanted to hear their screams and I have every reason in the world to want them dead."

I pointed in the direction of the building as I continued. "They are holding my husband captive. They have chained him with silver. He has gone days without feeding. They plan on using him as a spectacle, a tool to make the humans fear us. We can't kill them …any of them because if we do, we are what they say we are and we will not prove them right. We're not animals. We're not going to return to the shadows. This world is ours and we will reclaim it but we _will _do it the right way. We are going to stick to the plan."

And then I stepped into Rasul's body and looked him square in the eyes. "Anyone that gets in the way of this plan will not live past tonight; friend or foe. My husband is in that building and we will _not_ put his life in danger. He. Is. Mine."

Fangs dropped from all around. Bill looked from me to Rasul and puffed his chest out with pride. Pam, Thalia, and Heidi were stone faced and ready to fight. Maxwell's jacket was thrown haphazardly over his arm as he looked at me and nodded. Rasul looked down at me. I could see in his eyes that he knew that I was right. He knew that Russell's plan is the only way for us to get what we deserve. Then I saw regret in his eyes.

"I would never have attacked you. I would meet the true death first, little one. Anger got the best of me. Do you forgive me?"

"I do," I answered with a smile.

With a smirk on his face, he shook his head at me. "You are strong, little one and quite persuasive, I might add. No wonder he is so proud to claim you as his. Any vampire would be proud to have you standing by their side."

"Thank you." My heart melted at his words but not for long. "We don't have a lot of time for sentimental words. Now, we glamor them and we keep them at their posts. We don't have to worry about the ones on the inside. Bernard has taken care of them, right?"

"Yes," Pam said. "They will see you but will think nothing of it. You're just another girl that works at the LoDI. You have nothing to worry about."

"Good. Now, I'll take the girls and once I'm done with them, you all know what to do. Remember, you can't touch them … any of them."

They were about to go to do their jobs but I stopped them. "Please, be careful. If any of you deviate from the plan, I see the future that awaits us. There will be no shadow that will keep us safe. Come back to me …all of you."

As vampires scattered about, I stood behind and waited. I couldn't move. I was suddenly hit with a wave of love and fear. The image of my great-grandfather appeared in my mind. I thought of Niall and wondered why he gave me his light. I know that I have it because I feel stronger and more powerful than before. I wondered why he seemed to be giving up. I then closed my eyes and wondered why he didn't tell me that he's dying. One problem at time, I said to myself. I sighed as I made my way down the hill.

"Hi," I said when I reached the girls. I pretended to be out of breath as I approached them. "Where's everybody?"

The brunette, Bryce, looked me up and down and turned up her nose. She didn't like me at all. She thought that my hair was dyed and that I was wearing blue contacts. She thought that I had a nice shape and I had to have gotten that way with the help of a very good plastic surgeon. She also thought that I slept around. No, she didn't think very much of me at all.

"Who in the hell are you? Where did you come from?"

Pointing behind me, I said, "The woods. I'm Sookie. I'm supposed to meet my sorority sisters out here. We're supposed to be doing a scavenger hunt with Sigma fraternity." I frowned. "This is The Hut, right? I'm on Brighton Avenue."

Kendra, the red head, started to laugh. "No. You're on Hibiscus. The Hut's on the other end. You're at the Light of Day Institute. We haven't had a scavenger hunt in ages here. I'm sorry."

"I must've gotten turned around." I then looked around. "The Light of Day, huh? Wow. I've heard of this place before. I think I saw an infomercial for it one night while were pulling an all nighter."

Kendra looked up at me as she rested her elbows on the table. "You're in college?"

"Sure am," I answered. I pointed at my UNLV sweatshirt. "I'm a senior. I'm a psychology major. I plan on going into the field of mind reading."

Kendra laughed at my 'joke'. Bryce only stared at me. I could feel Bryce's eyes burning a hole in my face as Kendra and I talked.

"I was supposed to go to college but we couldn't afford it after my daddy was killed. Mama had to spend all of the money that we had to bury him. Plus, she had my brothers and sister to take care of. College had to wait, you know?"

"I'm sorry about your daddy. I lost my dad and my mom when I was very young. They were killed in a car accident. I know how that feels but don't give up," I said. "I didn't. There are dozens of ways to get in; grants and scholarships are a poor girl's best friends."

"That's why I'm working here. They pay pretty good."

"That's alright," I said. "What exactly do you guys do here? I'm always looking for ways to make extra money. We're supposed to go to Hawaii in January. I could use some extra dough."

Kendra went on to tell me all that the LoDI stands for and all that they do. They want the human race to respect themselves as humans and not willingly give themselves over to vampires and other supernaturals. They want the humans to be self sufficient and not have to depend on supernaturals for anything. They don't want humans supporting supernatural businesses or dealing with vampires in any way.

In my opinion, that will be an impossible feat. I frowned at her and asked, "Isn't this supposed to be a church?"

"It is," Bryce snapped.

"Okay but don't they teach people to hate? My Gran said that's wrong. We're supposed to be accepting and loving to everyone …that does include the vampires and the other supernaturals, doesn't it?"

Kendra shook her head no. "Hate isn't taught here …not really. It's more like separatism. They just don't want humans to have relationships with people that aren't humans. They don't like it if you sleep with them but if you want forgiveness for doing the necrophilia with a vampire or bestiality for doing it with a werewolf, they'll take you in. You have to really prove yourself but in the end, it's worth it."

That made me curious. "How do you prove yourself?"

"In different ways," she said as she looked at Bryce. She didn't have to go into detail at all. I could see in her mind what they did to her. They forced her to take the hottest showers. They forced her to tell them things about her vampire lover. They humiliated her. They abused her physically, mentally, and emotionally and all in the name of religion.

"And you're okay with that?" I asked.

"It's not what you make it out to be," Bryce said. "You're a sympathizer, aren't you?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm just not into passing judgment because someone is different than I am."

"I used to feel the same way you do," Kendra replied. "We are here to educate other humans. We pass out flyers to the people that live in the area. We go to vampire owned establishments and hang posters. We have campouts and sing-a-longs. We have lockdowns. That's when we stay in the church overnight. We usually have those every weekend but not this weekend though."

I know why.

"Sounds pretty cool if that's what you're into," I said. I sat on the bench next to Bryce and looked at her. "What do you like about this place?"

"Why do you care?" she asked.

I looked at her and laughed as if I was surprised at her attitude. "What crawled up your ass and died last night?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me.

Kendra laughed uncontrollably at my joke. She grabbed her sides and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her reaction caused me to get a case of the giggles.

"It's not that funny, Kendra," Bryce replied.

Once she was able to contain herself, she told me what was going on with Bryce. "She's just mad. She's been like that since they brought the big guy here."

Eric.

Bryce eyed her angrily. "Will you shut up? You talk too damned much. I told them not to let you do this but they wouldn't listen to me. I told them that you would tell it and I was right." She pointed at me and said, "Here you are telling some stranger that walked out of the woods who's being held here."

With my thumb pointing at Bryce, I asked Kendra, "What is she talking about?"

"I don't know why she's acting like it's a secret," Kendra said. "It's going to be on pay-per-view for Pete's sake. We have a vampire here and he's going to show the people what vampires are really like. Reverend Steve Newlin got a vampire and a girl to show the world what vampires do to humans. The world is finally going to see them for the monsters that they are."

"I heard about that," I said. "So, why is she mad about it? Is she mad because of what's going on?"

"No," Bryce snapped.

I then saw it. "Do you have thing for the vampire?" I asked her teasingly.

"Yeah, she does," Kendra said. "She wanted to be the one that was going to be locked in the room with him but they wouldn't let her. She's been a bitch every since they turned her down."

I touched Bryce's shoulder as I told her that it was okay. "Vampires are a dime a dozen in Las Vegas. You can see them any and everywhere if you to the right places. They're always near the college. There's a vamp bar called Bloods on the west end."

Then I saw it. She knows who I am. She knows that I hang out at Fangtasia. She's seen me in the company of vampires. She doesn't know if I sleep with them but she knows that I know Eric. She's wondering if I know that he's here.

"I can introduce you to a couple if you ever want to meet them," I said. "My cousin's a vampire. Have you guys ever heard of Fangtasia?"

Kendra shook her head no but back in her vampire humping days, she was a regular at Bloods. She didn't volunteer that information. I could see it in her mind. She misses those days. Bryce only stared at me. She knew.

"I know who you are," she sneered. "I know exactly who you are, you vampire fucking bitch."

I then did what I came to do. I tightened my grip on Bryce's shoulder as she tried to get up. I looked at her and shook my head no. I then stared deep into Kendra's eyes and talked to her.

"You need to go home. You need to think of the things that you've done while working here. You need to think of how the members of this _church_ have treated you. You'll regret ever coming here. Tomorrow at noon, you're going to go to the news stations and tell them what they do here. You're going to tell them of how they take innocent humans and use them to trap vampires. You're going to tell them that's what they did to you. It was how you redeemed yourself with them. They forced you to sleep with vampires and they videotaped it."

Kendra began to cry. "They did that to most of us that have slept with vampires."

Bryce began to tremble. I scared her.

"While you were having sex with the vampire, they made you scream as if you were being violated."

"They won't believe me," she whispered. "Reverend Newlin said that because I'm a known fangbanger, no one will believe me."

I smiled at her. "They'll believe you. I promise. Go into that building and ask for Bernard. He will give you everything that you need so that the world will know that you are telling the truth. Now, you get all of the information that I told you to and take it with you. Call Fox News and ask for Ryanne Salazar. She'll believe you. She'll make sure that your story gets out there but not until after the pay-per-view event. With her by your side, they'll have no choice but to believe you. Do you trust me?"

She nodded.

"Go," I ordered.

Within in seconds, she was up and running. I watched the girl as she ran through the wooded lot.

"What are you?" Bryce whispered.

I turned to face her. "Whatever you want me to be," I answered.

From the look in her eyes, she believed me. "What did you do to her?" Bryce asked me.

"I set her free."

"I knew that I'd seen you before. You're always with the big blond vampire that we have. How did you know that he was here?"

"I know because he's mine. I can feel him. I smell him. I can taste him. He is my husband and I am here to get him back. You or no one else will keep me from getting to him."

She opened her mouth to scream but she saw something in my eyes that stopped her. She thought that I came here to kill her. She believed me to be here to exact revenge on them because they took Eric away from me. I am but not the revenge she believes me to be seeking.

"I don't want to kill you."

Her eyes grew three sizes. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

I ignored her. "That is not why I came here. I don't want revenge against you. I want you to see that you and others that think as you do are wrong. You're a child. You were manipulated and made to believe that my husband and his kind are dangerous and will kill without provocation. Don't get me wrong. We could kill you. We could've killed you all but we don't want to do that. I don't want that. I came here to take what is mine. I came here because he doesn't deserve this. He isn't an animal. My husband is not a monster. We have a family and his family needs him."

"He's a vampire," she said. "He can't love you."

"That's where you're wrong, Bryce. He's always loved me. You know this because you've seen us at Fangtasia. You are the reason they took him."

Her eyes widened. "I … I … How do you know?" she whispered.

Again, I ignored her question. "You wanted him and he turned you away. You never saw him with anyone and you just knew that you could make him yours … or so you thought. You would see him sitting on his throne and you would approach him night after night after night and each night, he turned you away. You dressed in your finest duds and had your hair and nails done and he still didn't want you. You kept wondering what was wrong with you. You kept wondering why he didn't want you. That angered you so you joined the FotSs so that you could pay him back for turning you away. Stupid girl," I said. "If you want, I can tell you everything you thought that night before you joined the FotSs. I can tell you everything that happened when you decided to join this cult."

She began to tremble. "You weren't there."

I smiled at her. "You wanted him to … (ahem) fuck you. You'd bought new panties and a new bra; red. You'd even spent $25.00 on a bottle of perfume. You told your friends that you were going to let him do whatever he wanted to you; feed from you, fuck you anyway that he wanted to …only he didn't want to. And when you failed, they laughed at you in your face. You went home and cried that night. All night long you cried." I began to giggle. "You cried yourself to sleep but not before you vowed revenge because you were humiliated by him."

Before she could scream, I put my fingers to my lips and stopped her.

"You told them his schedule. When he arrived at Fangtasia …when he'd leave; you told them everything but you didn't tell them about me. You wanted them to use you as his toy when they portrayed him as a monster." I then bowed my head. "I must take some blame myself. I don't know how you got past me. I can only guess that it was because I wasn't on my A game. I failed him and that's how you got him. I should've been listening for you but I wasn't. I've been so preoccupied with my brother's death." I let her see me cry. "Because of you and me, my husband is here."

I hung my head and sighed. Even the strong fail sometimes.

"Bill," I said in my softest voice.

Within seconds, he was standing with us. "Yes, mistress."

"Glamor her before I kill her," I ordered. "Don't touch her."

She looked at Bill and as soon as she did, he had her. "You've never seen her. You've never heard of her. You've never seen either of us. You will forget that you've ever met Eric Northman. You have never heard of Fangtasia and you have never been there. You will walk away from here and when you do, you will walk until your feet bleed."

She nodded.

Bill released her from his glamor. "Go."

Bryce stood up from the bench and started walking. Bill sat beside me but said nothing. He looked straight ahead and waited.

"I failed him. I'm the reason they have him." I wiped at my eyes and looked at him. "I told him that they'll never see me coming. I was wrong. I didn't see them coming. This is my fault. I failed him, Bill. If I can't protect him, how am I going to …?"

"No, Sookie," he said. "Don't think that. Don't even say it. You did not fail him. We wouldn't have gotten in here without you. Never doubt yourself when it comes to Eric or those children because we all can see what they mean to you. We see that what _he_ means to you. We can see that you two are fated. No matter how it hurts, we see it."

I looked at Bill. "I do love him."

I could see his heartbreak just as it did when he first discovered that Eric and I were together. "Well, you need to get in there with him. You have forty-five minutes before the sun comes up. Maxwell, Rasul, and Heidi have returned to the compound and have gotten the files. Kendra has the info that Bernard that gave her. Pam and Thalia have taken the trap. She's already gone. Here's her picture."

I studied the girl's face and body as Bill continued.

"We'll be here as soon as the sun sets tomorrow. Russell's crew will be here first thing tomorrow morning and they will stay through the night. Everything is in place."

I placed my hand atop his. "Thank you, Bill."

"As soon as you go down the hall, you will see four doors. Walk past those doors and then take a left and Eric is in the second room on the right. Any guards that you see don't worry about them. Bernard has more than done his job. Oh," he said as he reached into his pocket. "Here's the key to Eric's shackles. He's in the white room just off the staging area."

I took the key from him. I leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

He nodded and was gone.

Without wasting any more time, I went into the building. I stood at the doorway and looked around. I have no intentions of going down some long hallway and counting doors. I wasn't going to waste my time looking for doors. I needed to get to my husband.

I closed my eyes and listened for his void but there wasn't one. My breath caught in my throat. Over and over again in my mind, I could hear my name being repeated.

Sookie

Sookie

Sookie

Within seconds, I'd popped myself into the white room and there he was shackled to the wall. The silver had burned into his wrists so deeply that the skin was growing over the cuffs. I ran over to him and removed them from his wrists as gently as I could.

If I do nothing else in this world, I'm going to kill Steve Newlin.

When he was free, he fell forward and landed in my arms. My tears fell onto his face as I peppered him with kisses. Over and over again, I told him that I love him and that I'd never let anything like this happen to him again.

"I'm here now, baby. Just as you've always done for me, I'm going to save you. I'm going to save you and I'm going to take you home and you'll be safe. They will never get to you again. I promise."

He opened his eyes and stared at me for a long time before he spoke. My warrior, my protector, and my lover smiled at me. All that pain he was in and he smiled at me. "I knew you'd come."

Laughing through tears, I said, "Nothing was going to keep me away from you. Can you do something for me, baby?"

"Anything," he answered hoarsely. "Whatever you want of me, I'll do."

I propped him up in my arms. "You need to drink. We have to prepare for tomorrow night so you are going to have to drink from me. You are going to have to be ready for tomorrow night. We make our big debut on primetime."

He chuckled.

"Can you drop fang?"

He shook his head no. He was too weak.

Without pause, I used my blunt teeth and bit into my wrist. The pain didn't matter. I didn't feel it. The only thing that mattered is Eric. I placed the ragged gash to his mouth. He held my arm to his mouth as he drank from me. I ran my free hand over his head and kissed him.

"Drink, my love," I said as I kissed his forehead once more. "Tomorrow we will win this. Tomorrow will be ours."


	86. Chapter 86

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 86**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. And to the newbies, thank you so much for making this story a favorite and alerting to it. Yay! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. The characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the story idea belongs to little old me.**

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><p><strong>Outside of the LoDI and the Shreveport Concert Hall<strong>

There were television cameras everywhere. The people milled into the concert hall so that they could watch the live event. In the beginning it was believed that the event would be held at the institute but because of a potential fire hazard and the possibility of there being human casualties, the police department and the fire marshal wouldn't allow it. Hell, they tried to get it cancelled but Steve Newlin had connections. He'd hoped that his connections could get the event held in the LoDI but no such luck. The state wasn't going to have a potential lawsuit on their hands regardless of who was holding the event. So he, the police department and the fire marshal had to make a compromise. The event hadn't been canceled and he had to have it at the concert hall.

That angered Newlin. He wanted to control everything that was happening with the vampire. He wanted control and he wanted all of the money for himself … and his church. He didn't want to have to share his money …the church's money but he had no choice. He had to rent out the concert hall and he had to pay for extra security. He fussed and complained until a voice of reason whispered into his ear.

Brunswick helped to convince him that it would be best to have the event in the concert hall. "If anything happens, you will have control of the cameras and we will be able to get you out of there as soon as possible. We can say that the vampire attacked you and we had to cut the show short."

Steve smiled.

With his fist raised in the air, Brunswick said, "WE are still in control. WE are running this. So don't think of this as a loss, Steve. This is just the beginning of what's to come."

Needless to say, Steve agreed with him. Though he wanted to see how many people were going to show up to watch the demise of the vampire race, he would have to make do with what he had …an earbud and a microphone.

If he could've seen the people that had gathered at the concert hall, he would've been proud. There were people everywhere. Some of them were supporters of Reverend Steve Newlin. Some were supporters of the vampires and other supernaturals of the world. There were signs being held by most everyone there.

_I like my vampires tall, blond, and sexy._

_Creatures of the night, you'll soon see the light!_

There were men and women marching back and forth screaming out about their hatred or their love for the vampires. Those same men and women brought their children along with them. They wanted their children to see just how dangerous the vampires are. They wanted their children to know that the vampires cannot and will never be a friend to humans. They wanted their children to see the boogeyman up close.

Some people were screaming about the injustices being portrayed up the defenseless human race. They were saying that humans have no way to protect themselves against the vampires. They needed to see what was going to happen to the vampire. That way, they can rest easy. Not everyone felt the same way as the bible thumpers did.

Some people were screaming that the hate for the vampires and other supes needed to stop. Love is what God is all about. We needed to learn to love one another. We could all grow together if we'd just try and work together.

_Corinthians: Above all else, love one another!_

_If Steve Newlin doesn't stand up for us who will?!_

_Vampires have rights just like humans do!_

_God hates fangs and anything else that goes bump in the night._

The religious fanatics; the staunch Steve Newlin supporters, were going mad crazy. They wanted to burn every vampire that existed. They wanted to see them silvered and staked. They wanted them to burn in the sun. They wanted the government to perform public executions on vampires. They wanted all supernaturals to suffer a public death because they aren't supposed to be in this world. This world is meant only for God's children.

_It's Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Fangs or Eve and wolves._

_Fangbanger and Proud!_

_Burn all fangs. Neuter all dogs._

There was one lady standing in the middle of a religious circle. She was holding her bible up in the air. She wasn't preaching hate. She was preaching love and acceptance. She was preaching that all people that are a part of God preach love.

"There is no hate in the heart of our Lord. God is love. God has always been love. Love your neighbor as you would yourself. Live as God wants us to. Hate doesn't reside in our Lord. Hate only resides in man."

She received cheers from some. She was booed by many. They were calling her a human race traitor. They told her to return to the graveyard where she belongs. Some of them had formed a protective circle around her.

_God loves everyone. _

_Jesus won't no vampire._

_My maker knew Jesus._

"After tonight, we'll see. We'll all see that vampires shouldn't live with the rest of us," a young man in a yellow LoDI shirt yelled out. "They'll all see that they were wrong and that Reverend Steve Newlin was right! He has been right all along!"

_Fangbangers are traitors to the human race._

A young woman in a black t-shirt with a glittered Fangtasia emblem in the center of it raised her fists proudly in the air. "I love the vampires! I love the Weres and the shifters! They've done us no harm! They've caused us no pain! If all of you so called Christians would get bitten just once, I guarantee that you'll love!"

People began cheering and repeating her mantra. _Get bitten. You'll love it!_

There were reporters gathered around outside. They were interviewing person after person. Ryanne Salazar was in the thick of it all. She'd spoken to a couple of the people but only to pass the time. She was waiting for her real story. She'd gotten a tip that there was something juicy going down tonight and it was going to make her a star. That intrigued her and had her creative juices flowing.

This one story could get her to where she wanted to be. She could be on a major network channel with a great reputation instead of the local rinky dink channel she was employed by. She hated that Fox News shit. They limited what she could and couldn't do. She would never get to where she wanted to be working for that type of company. She wanted more and there was more for her to have.

She could be the big fish that she has always wanted to be. Hell, she could be the next Bill Maher. She wouldn't have to worry about paying fines for saying fuck on a local station. She wouldn't have to worry about offending anyone because she'll have her very own television show. She will be so famous and so popular. She was going to have everything she's ever wanted. All she had to do was wait.

She was waiting for the interviewee …the lady in the bright pink pantsuit. Tonight, she was going to be wearing a bright pink pantsuit. She wanted to make sure that Ryanne saw her. Ryanne figured lime green, pink; it wouldn't matter. Who would miss someone wearing a bright colored pantsuit? And when she saw her, she had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud. Not only was the suit bright pink, it was polyester and looked as if it was two sizes too small.

"What in the hell is she wearing?"

Jerry, Ryanne's new cameraman, looked at what Ryanne was looking at and shook his head. "My great grandma's bridge outfit," he answered.

Laughing at Jerry's comment, Ryanne told him to come and follow her. She was taking long strides. She wanted to hurry up and get to what she believed was going to be her big ticket. Jerry, on the other hand, was moving at the same speed as a dead turtle.

"Will you hurry the fuck up?" Ryanne yelled at him.

Jerry rolled his eyes at her. "You heard what Milton said to you before we left the station. He warned you to watch your mouth. They had to pay a shitload of fines because of you last time."

She glanced over her shoulder and said, "I paid some of it but so what? I can cuss a fucking blue streak if I want. This is on pay-per-view. We can cuss all we want to. Now shut the fuck up and come on."

"Bitch," Jerry mumbled.

"That's better. And by the way, it's the sweetest compliment I've gotten in a very long time. I'm used to being called a cunt." Ryanne turned around and smiled at him. She placed her hand to her chest and sighed at the sweet sentiment. Pretty soon the smile was gone and she was off and running towards the woman.

When they reached her, Ryanne's phony smile reappeared. "Are you Charlotte?"

"I am. You must by Ryanne Salazar."

Waving her hand behind her as to rush Jerry along, Ryanne said, "I am. I hear that you have a story for me."

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah, I do but I have one condition."

Ryanne frowned. She looked down at Charlotte's hand and saw that she was carrying a huge briefcase. She looked at Charlotte and nodded. "You have my word."

"You can't air any of the information that I've given you until after the pay-per-view event. If you can't keep that promise, I will walk away and someone else will be airing what could have been yours. The information that you want is right here in this briefcase and you with it, you will have everything you've ever wanted. You can finally be that big fish."

Ryanne was at a loss for words. How did the Charlotte know what she was thinking earlier? How could she have …? Nah …every reporter has that dream. It's nothing out of the ordinary for someone to think that all reporters aspire to have their own show. Ryanne thought nothing else of what the woman said. It's common knowledge that all reporters want to be the best at what they do. Who doesn't want to be a big fish …regardless of the career they choose?

"I promise."

Charlotte looked her up and down and then nodded. "Okay," she said. "Follow me if you want your story."

* * *

><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>"Where the fuck is he?" Steve Newlin cussed a blue streak as he paced back and forth across the stage. "I've been waiting for him for the past hour and a half. He should've been here by now. He's not answering his fucking phone. He's not at his fucking house and he's not fucking here."<p>

"I know," the boy said.

He looked at the terrified boy and asked as he shrugged his shoulders, "I'm glad that you know. We all know. What I want to know is where Brunswick is hiding. Tell me what I want to hear, boy."

The boy swallowed his fear and shook his head. "I can't, sir. I've looked around and I can't find him. No one has seen him, sir. They think that he's in hiding just like he always is when it comes to the vampires. His house hasn't been invaded. The videotapes don't show that anyone but him has been there. His wallet and cell phone are gone and so is his car. He's around, sir, just like he always is. We just don't know where."

Steve knew that Brunswick liked to hide in the shadows but he needed him with him tonight. He wanted the man known as The Burner to be at his side tonight during this monumental event. He wanted the man that helped him and Sarah arrive at this monumental moment standing by his side but he understood why he could not. Brunswick needed to be on security to make sure that no vampire was going to be allowed in the building. He needed to be just where he was.

Steve nodded at the boy as he accepted that he would have to do this alone. No Sarah. No Brunswick. He could do this. "Okay," he said. "Okay."

The boy exhaled happily and led Steve out onto the stage. Once he was on the stage, he sent the boy away. He wanted a few minutes alone so that he could relish in his soon to be victory. Steve looked around him and smiled. He looked at the curtain behind him and his smile widened.

The vampire and the girl would make the world see that he was right all along. They would see that it was a huge mistake to have let the vampires roam the earth as if they were human. They will see that the invention of True Blood was a huge mistake. After tonight, many opportunities await him.

They would all see that he was right and he would be the real leader of the BVA. He would then take his seat in the senate and from there, who knows where he might go. He could be the governor of Louisiana. Hell, if things go as planned he'll be …. When this goes as planned, not if but when, he could possibly be the fucking president of the USA. With that kind of power, he could get rid of every supe in the country …maybe even in the world.

"We did it, Sarah," he said as he pumped his fists up and down. "We did it, sweetie pie."

He looked around the room as he thought of his wife. She would have been so very proud. They plotted and planned. They silvered and killed right along with Brunswick. They infiltrated many vampires' homes and were able to trick them, trap them …that is until the big, blond one.

Somehow, someway they were on to them. They knew what was going on and what was coming their way. No one within the faction believed for even a minute that Casey killed Sarah and she didn't commit suicide. Well, she did commit suicide but not on her own. They knew who they were and why they were there and they killed them …during the daylight hours. He just couldn't figure out how they did it but they did it.

"Reverend Newlin," the man said from behind him. "I have to get your makeup ready. You go on the air in the next fifteen minutes. Here's your earpiece. Put it in and we're almost ready."

Steve looked at the man and smiled.

As he walked over to his chair, he adjusted his earpiece and sat down with pride and it was oozing through every pore. He looked out at the empty auditorium but it didn't anger him as much as it did earlier. Before, it angered him that he couldn't have the venue inside of the LoDI. He wanted his supporters to be here with him to bask in their victory. He wanted the lovers of the fang to be here to see it when their beloved vampires are seen for the monsters that they truly are.

A young girl suddenly ran from backstage. When she stopped in front of him, she was out of breath. She was also extremely excited and her perfume smelled absolutely divine. He'd never smelled anything so sweet before in his life. Steve raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. She was also quite beautiful.

"Can you believe it?" she asked. "It's almost time! The world will finally get to see who the real monster is! The real monster will be no more after tonight." A gleam flashed in the beautiful girl's piercing blue eyes.

He rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and leaned forward. "Yes, dear girl," he said. "It is about that time, isn't it? The real monster will no longer be able to hide what he really is."

* * *

><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>Cocking his head to the right and with his fingers steepled underneath his chin, Steve addressed his audience via television camera. He was smiling and just as smug as he usually is. He was basking in his future glory. The people would thank him. They are going to worship him. They'll forever be in his debt after tonight's broadcast. And the government …the government was going to be at his beck and call. After tonight, Reverend Steve Newlin is going to be a household name. He will be known as the man that singlehandedly saved the world.<p>

"Good evening, my fellow human beings, you fine people of America, you righteous children of God. I've always believed that there's an order to this world and God knows this order and he has bestowed his knowledge upon me. And tonight, dear people, I will share this knowledge with you. The order begins with Him, man, and animals. Nowhere in that order do vampires and other unnatural beings exist. Before we begin, let me explain to you why we are doing this."

He smiled smoothly at the camera; silently wishing that his supporters were here with him.

"Humans are not meant to be fed upon. If they were, dinosaurs would still be roaming the earth."

He nodded and smiled as he spoke that line. He wrote that one himself. His staff told him that the dinosaur line wasn't needed but he knew better. He was the smart one. They were just writers. What did they know? He decided to add a little more to it.

"We would not be the rulers of this world. The dinosaurs would be. We would be in hiding. We would be hiding out in caves and eating berries and tree bark; climbing trees in order to stay safe. We are not dinosaur food. Therefore, we are not vampire food. We are humans and we should not be treated as snack packs. We cannot go back to the days of the dinosaur. We will not hide out in caves any longer. This world belongs to us."

He looked in the camera smiled even broader than he ever has. He wished that he could see the faces of his supporters. He wished that he could hear what they were saying. They would have been proud. In reality, they were looking confused and wondering what in the hell he was talking about.

"Humans are not meant to be fed on. Blood is not to be used as nourishment. It is to be used to keep the living body living. It's not to be used to reanimate the dead. No, dear children of God, we are not be used as food.

"Yes, good people, we are the original children of God. We are the only children of God. Vampires and such are the spawns of Satan. This is our world. We can't let these vampires, werewolves, and shape shifters rule what God has made for us. We are not going to lose what is ours to the dead and unnatural beings of this world. We are not meant to be on the food chain."

Steve then raised his finger to the sky and smiled. He stood up from his seat and looked directly into the camera as if he was looking into the eyes of his followers. "We are going to rid our world of these sub-humans …these children of Satan but there is a catch. We can't remove them all at once. No, good children, we cannot," he yelled at the camera. "We will rid the earth one unnatural species at a time. We will begin with our most eminent threat …the vampire!"

As soon as the word vampire left his mouth, the room went black and the footage that they had of their sworn enemy was there for all to see.

There were pictures of vampires running at unnatural speeds to capture the humans that were taking pictures of them feeding from 'unwilling humans'. They showed vampires glamoring people in order to feed from them. Vampires were shown having sex with men and women 'against' their will. They showed close-ups of their bloody fangs over and over again. They showed the terrified faces of the 'unwilling' victims in their different stages of fear and victimization. Just as quickly as the propaganda appeared, it was gone.

Steve turned to face the camera and once again, he wished that he could've seen the faces of the humans. Some were afraid of what they'd seen. Some wanted to run as far away as they could. Others didn't believe what they'd seen for a minute. They believed that it was a setup to scare Newlin's gullible followers and nothing more.

Newlin basked in their unseen fear. He decided that it was time to start the main event.

"I want you all to know that it's my goal, my only intention is to protect you. I'm not here to scare you. Tonight, good people, we have a vampire here with us. We captured him as he was attacking a human. He was trying to glamor one of our LoDI members. He was going to feed from her and then force her to have sex with him but luckily, we were there to stop him. Here is the monster that you all must fear!"

When Newlin pointed behind him, the wall behind him is disappeared into the floor. Behind the wall, there was a white room. Other than a chair with a robe thrown haphazardly over the back of it, the room was empty …except for the vampire. He was standing in the middle of the room. Silver shackles were hanging from the ceiling. They were wrapped around the vampire's wrists. He was naked. He long blond hair fell beautifully around his face. When he lifted his head, his piercing blue eyes stared straight ahead at nothing in particular.

Women gasped when they saw his (ahem) manhood. They'd never seen anything so spectacular, so big. The men held their girlfriends or wives to them as if to protect them from the blond Adonis that was not even in the same room with them. Parents covered their children's eyes. And then suddenly, a door opened from inside the room with big, blond vampire.

A small woman was pushed into the room. She was wearing nothing. Her arms were covering her breasts. She looked around the room before her eyes fell upon the vampire that was kneeling on the floor in front of her. Her eyes widened with fear. She stepped back and turned quickly and ran her hand over the wall. She searched frantically for the door. She didn't find it. Her arms went back to cover her breasts as she rested her backside against the nonexistent door.

Newlin wasn't smiling; though he wanted to. He wanted them to see the joy in his eyes as he let a vampire kill a fangbanger but he couldn't. They weren't there and he couldn't let them believe that he was happy about the death of a fellow human being; regardless of how wretched that human was.

"_No!"_

"_We can't do this! She's human!"_

"_She's innocent. God wouldn't want this!"_

The man that was speaking to him from the venue told him what the people were saying. "Explain it to them now, Rev. They are not happy with this."

"Good people," he said to the camera. "I know what you all must be thinking. You're thinking that we can't do this to her because she's human. She's innocent. I am a lover of mankind and I would have never allowed this young girl to do this but she came to me."

"They've calmed down, Steve, but you need to keep going."

He began nodding his head as he began talking again. "I have to let you know that I tried talking her out of this but she wouldn't hear of it. She refused to listen to me. She said that she needed to do this. It's her redemption. She has been a fangbanger for many years. Her sister was a fangbanger but her sister isn't a fanger any longer. She is no longer with you."

They didn't need to know that she was killed by FotSs members. They didn't know that she was the one that was going to be planted in the vampire's garden shed. All they needed to know was that she was killed and it was for the cause. And if they think that vampires did it, then great.

"Sweet Britney wants to be in the way of the Lord. She wants to be washed clean of her unrighteous ways. Who are we to deny her that?" He dropped his head and let the crocodile tears fall.

The man with the earpiece was soon talking in Steve's ear. "They are eating it up. They are fucking crying and thanking this girl for her sacrifice. They don't consider her a victim anymore." He began laughing. "They are calling her a true child of God. Oh, some are worried that he'll glamor her. Be sure to tell them about the contacts."

Steve decided to play it up. "She no longer wants to live in the dark. She wants to walk in the light of the Lord, dear people. Now, I must explain something to you. What we have done here tonight is not illegal. She has signed a contract and she is willing to do what is necessary. We must let the world see what the vampires truly are and what they are willing to do in order to survive. And don't worry. She won't be glamored. She can't be glamored. She is wearing special contacts in order to keep her mind protected."

"They've bought into. Now," the man said.

"Good people, it is time for you to see what they can do."


	87. Chapter 87

**I Remember You**

**Chapter 87**

**I apologize for the delay but I've had a very hectic month at work. I have new cases and they have been kicking my ass from here to Tallahassee but I'm back and I hope that you enjoy this new chapter. I will do my best not to wait so long to post the next chapter to this story. **And I also want you all to know that once I am done with this story, I will be continuing Spellbound. ****

**The main characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the story idea is mine.**

* * *

><p>"He's healing," some of them whispered. They couldn't take their eyes off of the vampire's wrists. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. No wonder they had the ability to live forever … if they aren't killed with silver and stakes. Some of them gasped in amazement as they watched the tall, blond vampire. They were enthralled by him; others, not so much. They pitied the poor, pitiful girl that was locked in the room with him.<p>

Some of them looked on sadly as the poor girl pressed her body against the wall in fear. The fear was could obviously be seen on the girl's face. They couldn't believe that _the_ Reverend Steve Newlin could be so cruel … so cold hearted. Isn't he supposed to be about love? Isn't that what God has taught them all to do; including Steve Newlin? What they were seeing tonight, was not love. It was anything but love. How could he do that? How could a man of God do such a horrendous thing? Why did it matter who she slept with? She's still human. She's still someone's daughter, sister, or wife. She could have children. She could have a family that's going to miss her. They didn't want this to happen. They looked around the arena in helplessness. Other members of the audience couldn't care less what happened to her. As far as they were concerned, she deserved it.

Some of them wanted her to pay for her crimes against nature. It's not natural to sleep with the undead. She needed to be in the room with the vampire. Then she'd see. She'd see exactly what they are. She'll see exactly what they can do. They would both get what's coming to them; the vamp whore and the deader. The more anxious they became to see her die, the harder their hearts would beat. The faster their blood would race through their veins. They'll both pay and when he looked in the girl's direction, they just knew that they show as about to begin. The vampire must've sensed their anxiousness because he soon turned his attentions to the girl.

He inhaled deeply as his gaze went directly to the beautiful creature that was standing before him. He didn't move. He didn't flinch. He stood there and stared at her …wanting her.

Her big brown eyes and her freckled face showed nothing but fear and not because she was afraid of him. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to control herself. She'd been without for what felt like years and she was not going to go another day without him. With the way that he was staring her, she didn't think that she would have the willpower to stay away from him. She let her body slide down the wall as she watched him … waited for him. And then it happened. He moved but not in her direction.

Instead, Eric looked at the two way mirror. He walked over to it and let his fingers gently glide over the glass. He chuckled at the very ridiculousness of it. If he wanted out, he could get them out without a problem but he couldn't. They have a plan and their plan didn't involve escaping through a two way mirror.

With that in mind, his gaze returned to the naked woman before him. He stared at her but didn't let his face betray his emotions. Because he was unable to last night, he wanted to know how she's been. He wanted to hear about the children, about how they are doing. He wanted more than anything to kiss her and to hold her. So instead, he went to the chair and grabbed the robe. He draped it over his arm and finally walked to her. He kneeled down in front of her and waited.

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She waited for him to lean in and kiss her but she knew what they had to do, what was expected of them. She cowered away from him, tucking herself closer into the wall as she slid down onto the floor.

It killed her to cower away from him, to treat him as if he's a monster. He's anything but. Don't get it wrong. She knows what he can do, what he's done, and what he's capable of but to her, he's so much more than that.

He's kind and loving. He's not all darkness. He's filled with light and love. He has the most beautiful smile. It can melt the iciest of hearts. He has an amazing sense of humor and he's so intelligent. It kills her to her very core that the humans don't see it. They don't see the wonderful man that just so happens to be a vampire. They don't see him for amazing wonder that he is. They don't see what she sees. They don't see the love that lives in him. They don't see the beauty in his eyes. They don't see the kindness in his heart. They don't see his soul. They don't see that the loneliness that used to keep him guarded is gone. But tonight, they will. They will all see just how wonderful and magnificent her husband truly is.

"Do not fear me," he whispered. "It isn't my meaning to hurt you. I swear to you, I mean you no harm."

With her head tucked away and her voice barely above a whisper, she said, "But you're a vampire."

He dropped fang on her but not in a threatening manner. The audience didn't know that because they gasped at the very sight of them … the size of them.

"I am a vampire," he confirmed.

Her eyes widened. "Reverend Newlin said that you would kill me. You're supposed to kill me."

The vampire shook his head no. "I will not."

She frowned at his words. "You're scary."

"I am," he answered as his fangs disappeared into his gums.

She turned to face him. "You're going to drain me of my life. You're going to feed from me as you have your way with me. That's what you'll do. That's what all vampires do. They take our lives so that they can keep living. I didn't learn that until after meeting Reverend Steve Newlin. He opened my eyes." She began nodding her head as if confirming what she'd just said to him. "You're going to hurt me, aren't you?"

"Never," he whispered.

Although it wasn't real, he hated hearing those words come from her mouth. He'd meet the true death before he'd ever think of hurting her. She is why he walks this world. She is his reason for being and nothing is going to keep them apart. They are the original Romeo and Juliet. Their love is what love is supposed to be. Theirs is a love that will stand the test of time. _They_ will stand the test of time.

With her knees pressed to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, she looked the vampire in his eyes. "I know why I'm here. I know what I'm supposed to do." She nodded her head as she talked. "This is my duty. This is what has been chosen for me. I understand my path now and I'm not afraid to take it. I'm not afraid of dying. I've never been afraid of dying."

He only stared at her. She knew what was going through his mind and she hated it but there was nothing that she could do about it.

She peeked up at him before speaking. "If you want me, you can have me. I'm here for forgiveness. I'm a sinner, a traitor to the human race. I've slept with vampires. I've given my very heart and soul to a vampire." She looked sincerely into his eyes and said, "I'm yours if you want me."

It took all of the self-discipline and determination that he had not to claim her right then and there but instead, he stood up and offered her his hand. She looked at it before she decided to take it.

As she stood, he let his eyes travel over her body and he could feel his hardness twitch as he imagined kissing her inch of her. She swallowed hard as her lust saturated the air in the room.

Instead of doing what was expected of him, he took the robe and held it open for her. She only stared at it at first but once she realized what he was doing, she did as he wanted. She let him put the robe on her. Once she had it on, he stepped away from her and waited for her to close it but she didn't. She left it open she took a step closer to him; closing the gap that he'd unwillingly made between them.

"I know that you've been here for awhile. I know what happens to vampires if they don't feed. I can … I can feed you … you know … if you're hungry. I'll have sex with you too if that's what you want. I used to sleep with a vampire and I know what to do. I know what he likes." Sultrily the girl added, "I can please you. I'm yours to do with as you wish." She let the robe drop down around her feet.

His blue eyes were blazing. He wanted her and she was making it difficult for him to not take her. In his mind, he couldn't help but think that later on tonight he was going to make her pay.

"No," he said. "You are a prisoner just as I am. I will not and I would not ask that of you. I am not a monster; contrary to popular belief." Eric glanced over his shoulder and looked in the direction of Newlin. He didn't glance over for too long. Something that the girl did captured his attention.

She for his hardness but before she could touch him, he stepped away from her. Even though it wasn't real, it hurt her just the same to have him step away from her touch. She looked up at him and did her best to hide the pain in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Please, I've just ...," she swallowed deeply. "Just let me …"

"No," he answered sharply.

"But I'm supposed to …"

"No."

She stared at him and she'd never seen him look like that before. She'd never seen him look so disgusted and angry. If the bond hadn't been filled with lust and love, she would've believed him.

The girl threw her arms up in the air and looked up at the ceiling. She twirled around in the middle of the floor as she talked. "He won't bite. He won't even touch me. I can't make him want me. I can't make him do anything. This is not working out. Maybe you need to get someone else in here. Maybe you should try another vampire."

Suddenly, a knife came down from the ceiling and cut into the girl's skin. She yelped out in pain. The knife continued to cut her in several different places. Eric saw the cut marks and the blood oozing from her and it instantly took him back to the night Neave and Lochlan tortured her. With the speed of lightening, Eric reached through the ceiling and grabbed the man that cut her arm and bore his fangs at him. His hand was gripped tightly around the man's neck. His eyes were almost bugged out of his head.

_He's protecting her?!_

_Why won't he just bite her?_

_I can't believe he protected her. _

_Why is a vampire protecting a human?_

_Did you see that! He got mad when that man cut her!_

_Did you see that!_

_What is going on!?_

_He's not what they said he was._

She looked on as she watched the man squirm in protector's hand. She wanted Eric to squeeze the very life out of him but he couldn't. It would defeat their very purpose. They would get him later. He wasn't going anywhere. Bill and Pam would make sure of it. So instead of letting Eric kill the man, she reached over and touched Eric's arm instead.

"I'm okay," she said.

Eric looked at her and then at the man. He threw the man across the room and watched as he bounced off the wall. He began banging on the wall. A hidden door opened and he was soon gone. Eric didn't care. He had more important things to think about. He began inspecting the girl's arm. He gently took her arm in his hand. Anger seethed through him. He wanted to rip the man's fucking head off but he didn't have to worry. He'd get him.

"I can heal you," he said as he looked at her arm.

"No," she said. "That's okay. I'll be fine."

"These cuts are deep. You need medical care." He looked around the room and said, "I don't see any doctors in here, do you? Let me heal you."

She frowned. "What about …?"

"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile. "It's fine. No one will ever know."

Russell and Bart

Bill and Pam

Rasul and Indira

Heidi and Maxwell Lee

"What if you can't stop yourself once you taste me? You haven't eaten and you might not be able to stop yourself." She pretended to look concerned. She pretended to look afraid.

"Trust me," he whispered.

She trusted him with her life but being the good actress that she is, she played along. She looked at her arm and then at him. She lifted her arm to him. He held it to his mouth and licked the wounds. Once it was done, he stepped away from her and blurred his way to the other side of the room.

The audience began to mumble.

_He's not trying to hurt her._

_That vamper ain't trying to hurt nobody! He ain't like no monster I done ever seen before!_

_You ain't never done seen no monster!_

_Why hasn't he raped her or taken her blood?_

_She's naked and she's offering herself to him but he won't take it. Did he lie? Did Reverend Newlin make it all up?_

_I don't like this anymore. This ain't right._

_She looks damn good naked. I'd bite her!_

The man began speaking in Steve's ear. "What the fuck is he doing? You are going to have to get him to attack her. These people are not buying it. They are thinking that he's not bad at all. They are starting to believe that you are making it all up. They are beginning to think that you have nothing but a two bit vendetta for no reason."

Steve stared in the camera. "I know that some of you are anxious to get this started but give it time. He has to win her over, good people. He has to make her feel safe. He will take what he wants and he will have her. I promise you."

He smiled broadly as he turned away from the camera and towards the two way mirror. When he was sure that the audience couldn't see him, the smile was gone. He was angry. Fury began to fill his eyes. His mind was running rapid.

In a voice that no one could hear, he said, "Someone had better do something or I'm going to cut these fucking cameras and I'm going to kill them both."

The girl looked in his direction as she walked over to Eric. When she reached him, she stopped in front of him and looked up into his eyes.

"I'm yours." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her lips lightly brushed his. "Let me feed you," she whispered. She traced her finger along his face. "I'll take very good care of you." She kissed him once more.

He stepped away from her and said no. He placed his hand to her cheek and smiled at her. "I meant what I said. I will not do this. I will not degrade you. I may be a vampire but I will _not_ do what you are asking of me."

Once again, the audience was in awe.

_What is she doing? Why does she keep kissing him?_

_His fangs are so big!_

_Is she not afraid of him?_

_Is she trying to get him to attack her?_

_Why doesn't she just leave him alone? _

_He doesn't seem to want to harm her at all. _

The girl smiled as she heard what the people were saying. She loved that Steve Newlin's plan had failed. He was not going to get what he wanted. He was going to see that they can live as one with the vampires. There is no need for the hate or the fear. In just a few minutes, he was going to get exactly what he deserves. His fall from grace is going to going to be sweet and poetic justice.

She placed her hands on the vampire's waist and began to pepper his chest with kisses. She worked her way to his mouth and nibbled at his bottom lip. Eric closed his eyes as those familiar lips kissed him again and again. Remaining the strong vampire that he is, Eric kept his arms down at his side. Though it was a struggle, he did as he was supposed to.

"I'm yours," she whispered again.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to kiss him as she always has. This time, he returned them. He'd waited for this for so long. He let his hands travel over her body; caressing her curves and holding her in his arms. She kissed her way to ear and nibbled at it.

"I've missed you so much," she whispered only loud enough for him to hear.

He placed his hand on the back of her head and held her close to him. He didn't want to make love to her. He didn't want to claim her. He only wanted to hold her and tell her just how much he loves her and needs her. His GP was no longer hard. Eric buried his face into her neck. He inhaled her scent and he never wanted to let her go.

The camera panned in to watch as he fed from her. They wanted to hear his fangs as they fell into place. They wanted to hear his fangs as they ripped into her skin. They wanted the audience to see the blood as it dripped from the corners of his mouth. They wanted to hear her yell out in pain but needless to say, they didn't get what they wanted.

They didn't hear his fangs fall into place. They didn't hear his fangs as they ripped into her flesh. Blood did not drip from the corners of his mouth. The girl did not scream out in pain.

Reluctantly, he broke his grasp on the girl and looked into her eyes. "My name is Eric."

Cocking her head to the side, she said, "I'm Cookie. Well, that's my nickname."

Eric laughed heartily as the memory of Johnny Fairplay appeared in his mind. "Cookie," he repeated with a chuckle. "It's very nice to meet you, Cookie."

The audience was in awe. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. They couldn't believe that he wasn't feeding from her or raping her. He wasn't doing any of the things that Reverend Newlin said he'd be doing. He'd introduced himself to her. He laughed at her nickname. He is holding her and kissing her as if it's a natural thing for him to do. They didn't see any of the bad things that Newlin said that they would see. He's not a monster at all.

He's treating her as if she's just like he is.

_She's in no danger._

_He's not going to hurt her. _

_Was Reverend Newlin wrong? Did he make us believe his lies?_

_What about the videotape? The videotape doesn't lie …right?_

_Was it all a set up?_

People were shaking their heads. They were saying that the videos couldn't have been real. They couldn't have been. They have a vampire and a naked girl locked in a room with him and he hasn't attacked her. He hasn't done anything to her at all. Could it be that the vampires are just like they are? Some are good and some are bad.

_Are they just like us?_

With his hand to his ear, the man said to Steve, "They're not falling for it, Newlin. They don't believe that he's a monster. They don't believe that he's going to hurt her." The man paused. "It's over. Your crusade to destroy the vampires is over. You need to let it go. You need to let them go. You've lost."

"Fuck that!" Steve yelled out.

The man fell silent.

The audience fell silent. Many of them were sitting in their seats with their mouths wide open. They couldn't believe their ears. Reverend Newlin just yelled out fuck.

Steve walked over to the two way mirror. He began banging on the glass with his fist. "You are going to fucking kill her before this night is over or I swear on all that I love that I will kill you both before the night is over! Do you fucking hear me!? I will kill you both!"

"Steve!" the man whispered in the ear piece. "What are you doing? They can hear you. The audience can hear every word you're saying."

"What the fuck are you two doing?" Steve yelled at Cookie and Eric as he banged on the glass. "Why are you not fucking her? Why are you not feeding from her? Do what you're supposed to do and fucking kill her!"

"Steve!" the man yelled.

Steve ripped the earpiece from his ear and threw it on the floor. He spun around and looked in the camera. "Cut! Cut the fucking the feed. Cut off the fucking cameras! Cut! Cut! Cut!"

Sookie and Eric looked at each other smiled. It was time for the terror known as Steve Newlin to end.


	88. Chapter 88

**I Remember You**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Ya'll will never know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. Ya'll have been absolutely wonderful and your patience with me has been outstanding. This is the next to the last chapter of the story and I hope that each of you enjoy it.**

**The story idea is mine but the characters belong to Charlaine Harris.**

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><p>As Newlin lost his control, Ryanne Salazar was showing the world just what type of monster he really is. Her program cut into the feed that was showing at the LoDI. They were no longer watching their beloved pastor scream and cuss at the vampire and the poor girl that was being held captive. They were no longer watching as he banged on the two-way glass as he had his temper tantrum. They were now sitting in their seats with their eyes as wide as they've ever been. They were no longer oblivious to what Steve Newlin really was. They were no longer his simple minded and naïve followers of only a few moments ago.<p>

They were seeing the truth … finally.

His followers were sitting in their seats with their mouths agape. Ryanne was showing the world just what type of man the Reverend Steve Newlin really is and she loved it but she wasn't alone. Bryce and Kendra were with her; along with the lady in the lime green suit. She had them and she had so much more. She had Bryce and Kendra talking about the things that he'd forced them to do. They said that things that they'd done was their atonement for sleeping and loving vampires. The things that he made them do was the only way they could be forgiven for their sins and they had to be done in front of him. It was up to him to show it to the world. The world had to see who the monsters really were.

"He said that we had to sleep with as many vampires as we could," Kendra said. She looked down at her hands as she talked. "He would videotape us with them. He would make us look afraid. He said that it would make it easier for the human race to believe that the vampires are the monsters that he said they are. He said that the humans would believe it. He said that they would believe anything that they see on TV and on the internet. He said that they didn't want to find out anything for themselves. He said that it was up to him and his church to show them the way and the light."

Ryanne shook her solemnly. "That's awful; just awful," she whispered. "Did both you have to do whatever he ordered you to do?"

"Yes," Kendra answered.

Bryce began nodding her head as she cried. "I have done worse. I'm the reason the vampire is in there with that girl. Newlin made me do it but I know that I didn't have to. I can't put all of the blame on him. I had choice. That vampire in that room isn't a bad man. He never did anything to me." She dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.

Ryanne frowned. "Then why did you do it?"

Bryce shrugged. "Revenge," she said. "I wanted him but he turned me away." Pointing over her shoulder, she added, "Just like he's doing to that girl in there. He has a wife."

Ryanne looked surprised as she stared into the camera. "He's married and obviously faithful."

"Yeah," Bryce answered. "And he loves her. I was jealous and hurt and I wanted to make him pay. I'm so sorry for what I've done. I hope that they can forgive me for what I have done."

Ryanne reached out and touched the girls' on their knees. She felt sorry for them. She felt their pain but most of all, she was above the moon. She was going to be the big fish in an even bigger pond with this story. She'd made it. She had to bite the inside of her jaw to keep from smiling.

"You poor, poor souls," she said as she shook her head. "I know that this is a trying time for the both of you but _you_ came to me. _You_ want your stories to be heard. You want the world to know what the Reverend Steve Newlin has done to you. Isn't that right?"

"Yes," the girls' answered with quiet and trembling voices. "We don't want anyone else to fall victim to his charms the same way we did," Kendra finished. "When we were given the discs and files, we knew what had to be done. We knew that we had to tell the world what was going on. We couldn't keep quiet any longer." She took Bryce's hand in hers and squeezed it. The two girls looked at each other and smiled.

Ryanne dropped her head and shook it. "Play the footage," she said in the saddest voice that she could possibly muster up. She was doing everything in her power not to pump her fist in triumph. Ryanne then turned to face the screen and as expected, her triumphant look was no longer there. Her need to pump her fist had soon passed. The videos were nothing as she expected.

There were videos of vampires being silvered and left hanging from the ceilings in big empty rooms. They were screaming out as the skin was being peeled away from their opened wounds. There were vampires that were being cut into and stabbed. Vampires were being forced to do unspeakable things. They were forced to feed from animals. They were being forced to eat human food which in turn made them violently ill. They were being tortured mercilessly.

The FotSs members were laughing at the vampires as they begged for their undead lives. They were pleading to be released; to be set free. They were suffering beyond reason. Their limbs were being cut off. Their fangs were being pulled out. Some of them were being silvered to trees; even nailed to trees and left out in the sun. They begged over and over to be released but their pleas continued to fall upon deaf ears. Needless to say, the FotSs members' torturous plans didn't stop with the vampires. They had to spread their plans along to the Weres and the shifters.

The Weres and shifters; they were being tied with chains. They would put electroshock collars around their necks and put them in boxes and shock them over and over again. They were being injected with something that would make them howl out in pain. The shifters were being forced to shift in the cruelest fashion. They would put them in pits and make them fit with each other. Sometimes, they even had to fight to the death and just as before, their cruelty didn't stop there.

There were men and women being forced to have sex with vampire after vampire. They were being made to stand in front of other members of the FotS and they were being humiliated and degraded once they were done. They were being abused; mentally, physically, and emotionally. They were crying and they were begging to be let go. They were making promises that they would never sleep with another non-human again if they would just let them go home.

"I don't want to die here," one girl cried. Her arms were raised in the air as they sprayed her body down with scolding hot water. "I want to go home."

"Too bad," one of Newlin's men said to the girl. "You're going to pay for your crimes against nature. You're fucking disgusting! You sicken me! You're a fucking animal and that's how you're going to be treated. Get down on all fours!"

The girl cried as she looked at him. "Why are you doing this? You're supposed to help me get over him. You're not supposed to treat me like this. He never treated me like this."

"Shut the fuck up!" the man yelled. "Get down on all fours!"

The girl did as he said. She cried the entire time.

Ryanne looked on in amazement. This was the first time she'd seen the videos. She never been so disgusted in her life; so appalled. She couldn't bear to watch what the monster had done to the girl. She turned away from the screen and began to sob uncontrollably. Sorrow filled her eyes and her heart. Her soul was shattering into in a million pieces. She was no longer thinking of being the big fish in the bigger pond. She placed her hand to her heart. She didn't expect to have to see something like this. She didn't expect this at all. She cried but it wasn't because she was sad. It was because she was beyond angry.

When the video stopped playing, she looked at the girls and her eyes were filled with anger and hate. "Why did you stay?" Ryanne asked Bryce. The pain and disgust in her voice were real this time. "Why would you let him do this you? Do you not know your worth?"

Bryce shook her head no. "No one's ever told me that I'm worth anything. I thought that I deserved it. I believed that I was traitor to my race."

Ryanne dropped down on her knees in front of Bryce. She pointed at the screen behind her and said, "No one deserves to be treated like that. No one! You are somebody. Don't ever forget that," she whispered. She then took the girl in her arms and held her as they cried together. "You are somebody and you matter." She stroked the girl's head and repeated it. "You matter."

The next bit of footage that Ryanne, showed was of the experiments that the FotSs members had done on the shifters, Weres, and vampires. The sadists showed them not an ounce of mercy. They showed them not an ounce of compassion. Some of them were killed and thrown in a huge metal dumpster as if they were no more than trash.

As she dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex, Ryanne turned to the lady in the lime green polyester suit with pure disgust in her eyes. "This is the man that you supported? You, the manufacturer of Tru Blood, supported this? What was your agenda? Money? Fame? Power? This is what your money funded? Did you know that this was going on? Is that all these vampires were to you? Do you feel no shame for you have done?"

The lady in the lime green suit opened her mouth to speak but Ryanne cut her off.

"It was all about the money for you," Ryanne answered for her. "You played these people because you wanted the money. You wanted the power and you wanted the fame. Once you got tired of it, you didn't care what happened, did you?" She scooted to the edge of her seat and pointed at the screen behind her. "You feel no shame. You don't feel bad for what you've done."

Just as Sookie had planned, the woman's eyes held nothing; not an ounce of remorse. She just sat there and stared at Ryanne. She didn't bother to try and answer Ryanne's questions. She knew that there was nothing that she could say. The truth was out.

"You're no better than that piece of shit Steve Newlin."

"Ryanne!"

She heard someone hissing her name backstage. She gave them the finger. "It's fucking pay-per-view. I can say what the fuck I want to say and you can't do shit about it." She looked at the darkened corner and said, "Get over it!"

The woman got up to leave but Ryanne stopped her in her tracks. "Where do you think you're going? You're going to sit here and you're going to reap what you've sown. There's no way you're leaving here. My husband is the DA and you will pay for what you've done. They may not be humans but damn it, you participated in their suffering by funding it and I will do everything in my power to make you pay; you, Steve Newlin, and every other piece of shit person that funded this crap."

"You can't do that," the lady said. "It's not my fault that these ignorant and stupid humans thought that it was a great idea to believe that it was okay to be in love with vampires. It's not okay to be associated with those blood suckers."

Ryanne frowned at her. "That's the way you set it you, lady! You did this and now you're mad because it didn't go the way you'd planned. Are you high?!" Ryanne shook her head in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

The woman only stared.

Ryanne flopped back in her seat and shook her head. "My goodness, you are serious. Un-fucking-believable."

The lady in the lime green pantsuit didn't like being made a fool of. She didn't want the public to think that this was all her idea because it wasn't. She wasn't going to take all of the blame. She wasn't going to go down alone. "I was only following orders. I did what I was told to do. I will not let you pin all of this on me. I will not …"

Ryanne picked up a folder from underneath her seat and shook her head. "Don't you dare try and feed that bullshit to me. I have every name that has been associated with this fucking atrocity. Killing them? Torturing them? You're all going to pay. FotS, BVA; you name it and I've got it. I've given copies to my husband and different members of the government. Your reign of terror ends tonight."

The lady in the lime green suit sat tall in her seat. She didn't show an ounce of fear. She was going to accept her punishment. The blonde girl said that she deserved it and she agrees. She didn't think that she was a bad person. She thought that she was right to feel as she did. She didn't think that the vampires and the humans should have relationships. She didn't expect that to happen. She just assumed that the humans would stay away. She didn't think that they'd want to be in relationships with the vampires.

Kendra looked at Ryanne and smiled.

Ryanne was surprised to see the girl smiling. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because of you," she said. "You don't realize how much you've helped so many of us tonight. Thank you. We'd always assumed that Steve would win and that no one would listen to us. He's Reverend Steve Newlin. He's the reverend of the people. And we're nobody," she said as she looked at Bryce. "We're free and we no longer have to be ashamed."

Bryce grabbed Kendra's hand and nodded. "Yeah," she whispered.

"What do you want to see happen to Steve Newlin?" Ryanne asked the girls. "What punishment do you think he deserves? Should he have to pay for what he's done?"

"Yes," the girls answered in unison. "But not by us."

Ryanne smiled. She looked into camera and said, "We'll see what we can do about that."

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>The man with the earpiece looked down in defeat. He noticed the vampires standing at the door. He knew that they weren't going to let him go. He'd participated in the torture and murder of their kind and he doesn't just mean the vampires. He knew that the Weres and shifters would want their revenge too. And they were watching him closely as they ushered the stunned and embarrassed followers from the auditorium.<p>

He recognized one of the vampires … the feminine one. The one that he'd done unspeakable things to; he knew that his time was coming when he saw him standing at the door smiling at him.

As he watched the vampire known as Bernard, he remembered what the vampire said to him. "I'm going to make you pay and you will suffer at my hands."

When the last human was guided from the auditorium, vampires guarded the door as Bernard and another even more feminine vampire approached him. They stopped in front of him and smiled. "This is the one, Russell. His name is Charlie. He is the one that tortured me. He is the one that killed Ray Don. I watched him. Do you want to know what he did as Ray Don died, Russell?"

A slow and deliberate smile appeared on Russell's face. "Please tell me, Bernie. What did he do to our dear friend? Did Ray Don suffer at this monster's hands?"

"Yes, he did." Bernard's eyes were brimmed with blood.

"Did Ray Don beg for his life?" Russell asked as he began removing his coat.

"Yes, he did."

Russell slowly shook his head. "What did poor Ray Don say as this monster tortured him to no end?"

Bernard blurred close to the monster's side and whispered in his ear. "He begged him to let him go home to his mate. He said that his boyfriend was waiting for him but the monster didn't care, Russell. Do you know what he did?"

Russell traced his finger along the face of the monster. "No, dear boy, tell me what he did?"

"He called him ugly names and did deplorable things to Ray Don. The monster said 'I don't care about no faggot vampire or his faggot boy lover'. That's what he said to him, Russell. Those words echoed in my mind every day after Ray Don met the true death."

The monster began to tremble. He began to sweat. The stink of his fear filled the nostrils of the vampires. Russell was disgusted by the stench but Bernard loved it. He wanted it. It was going to make the kill so much better.

"What should we do with him, Bernard?" Russell asked. "After all, you're the one that got us in here thanks to Ray Don's government contact. Should we torture him as he did our brother? Should we make him scream out in pain as he'd made our brother scream out in pain?" Russell placed his hand on his chin and looked at Bernard. "What do you think?"

"I think that we should but we shouldn't be in a hurry to kill him," Bernard whispered as he licked along the cheek of the monster. "No. We should take our time with him. We could have so much fun with him, Russell."

Russell let his arms drop to his side and he gave Bernard a quick nod. "Then so it shall be. Do with him as you wish, Bernie. He is yours. You suffered at his hands and so he shall suffer at yours."

Bernard smiled the scariest smile that monster had ever seen before in his life. He knew that he wasn't going to die quickly. Though he knew it, he wasn't prepared for it.

"Take him to the plane," Russell ordered. "We'll take him back to Mississippi. You can have your fun with him at home. Choose the slave quarters that you want to use and do with him as you wish." Russell looked at his watch. "I need to get to the Northmans. Be careful, Bernie. Make sure that you're not seen with him. Take the underground passage that Newlin had prepared for himself and Bart will be waiting for you."

Bernie bowed deeply to his king. "Thank you so much, my king. This is the greatest gift that I have ever been afforded."

Russell smiled. "Enjoy," he said as he blurred from the room.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>Steve Newlin continued to bang on the glass as Sookie and Eric looked at him. He was screaming and yelling like a banshee. "What the fuck are you doing? Why aren't you fucking her? Why are you taking her against her will? You're a fucking vampire! YOU need to act like a fucking vampire!"<p>

Sookie and Eric just stood there. Eric looked on in amusement. He has never seen a grown man act as Newlin was acting. As a matter of fact, he'd never seen Adele or Sookie Jr. act like that. They're five year old girls and they act better than Newlin is. He was so into his temper tantrum he never noticed that his world was falling down around him.

He never noticed the broadcast of his wrongdoings. He never heard the man with the earpiece telling him that it was over. They'd lost. He hadn't heard that the humans were apologizing to the vampires for what they'd done and what they'd believed. They were asking … no. They were begging for the forgiveness of the vampires. They were even apologizing for the actions of their so-called leader. They were leaving Newlin to stand on his own.

"You don't want to answer me, huh?" Newlin banged on the glass. "Well, I can fix that." He turned around and looked up at the ceiling and said, "Stake his blood sucking ass!" He turned back around and looked at Eric and Sookie. He was smiling. He was smiling and nodding.

Needless to say, nothing happened. Sookie and Eric looked up at the ceiling and then they returned their gaze back to Newlin and we waited.

"Stake him!" he yelled again.

And again, nothing happened.

With his arms out by his side, Newlin yelled out at the ceiling. "What the fuck are you waiting on? Kill him! Kill him now!"

This time, something did happen. The glass that separated Newlin from the vampire and his wife was no longer there. The glass that was separating them, was now slowly making its way into the hidey hole in the floor.

Newlin began backing up. "I said to stake him. I didn't say let him go." His voice was now softer; a little more humble. Little beads of sweat began to appear on his very unattractive face.

Eric and Sookie looked at each other before stepping out of the glass enclosure. They walked to where Newlin stood and stopped in front of him. They looked at Newlin and smiled.

Speaking to Eric as she looked at Newlin and tied her robe closed, Sookie asked, "Do you prefer me with clear skin and blue eyes or with freckled skin and brown eyes?"

Eric looked down at her with nothing but pure love in his eyes. "My lover, I love you anyway that I can have you but I am partial the clear skin and the heartbreaking blue eyes."

She looked up at him and smiled lovingly. With the simple wave of her hand, she was no longer the brown eyed, freckled face girl that the public saw trapped in the enclosure. She was Sookie Northman.

Newlin stumbled back. "What the fuck are you?" he whispered.

Sookie ignored Newlin as she stared at her Viking. "My warrior," she said as she stroked his cheek. "I knew that I'd find you. I never doubted for a second. My dearest love," she whispered.

Cupping her face in his hands, Eric said, "I've missed you so." He claimed her mouth as his own. He loved the sweet taste of her mouth; the familiar feel of her tongue and the softness of her lips.

"I love you, Eric. I love you so much," Sookie said into his mouth.

"Sookie Stackhouse?" Newlin asked. His voice was filled with surprise. "What the fuck are you?"

Sookie and Eric continued to ignore him. They kissed each other as if it was going to be the last time. The held onto each other as if they were going to float away and they were each other's anchor.

Newlin decided to take the opportunity to try and escape. Needless to say, he didn't get very far. He backed into the very hard body of Bill Compton. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

"No," Pam answered as she pushed open the doors to the big empty room. "He's not going to go anywhere, isn't that right, Newlin?"

Eric and Sookie broke their kiss and returned their attentions to Newlin. "No, he's not," Sookie answered. "He has to stay here so that he can what happens to the monster; the boogeyman. Isn't that why we're all here?" Sookie spread her arms out to her side as she approached Newlin.

A smirk appeared on Newlin's face. "You can't harm me. The entire world will see it. They will see that I'm right about you animals … you freaks of nature." He leaned forward and clapped his hands together. "Are you guys fucking crazy or what? You can't harm me! I'm Steve fucking Newlin!"

The vampires suddenly filled the auditorium with laughter. With the clicker in hand, Russell said, "You haven't heard. Here, let me show what the world is watching _Reverend_."

Newlin's mouth fell open. Displayed for the world see, was everything that he'd done to the humans and the supernaturals. They saw his torture rooms. They saw what the scientific experiments that he'd headed. They saw the weapons that he'd used on the vampires, the shifters, and Weres. They saw the silver bullets, the vice machines. They saw the rapes and the brutal beatings. They'd seen it all.

His life was over.

His reign of terror was over.

He was over.

But still, he didn't care. He was the Reverend Steve Newlin. He wasn't going to have to pay for what he'd done. He was a celebrity. The world loves him and what he believes in. They will uphold anything that he does. That news thing, hell, it doesn't mean a thing. The only thing he had to do was give a press conference and let the world know that he was betrayed. They'd set him up. After all, they are the monsters. He's the Reverend Steve Newlin.

Sookie looked at him and laughed. "You're delusional. You will not be forgiven for what you've done. You've been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. You are done, Steve. We're not the monsters that you've made us out to be. They all know that now. They've seen what you can do. You have no standing in this world anymore. You're done."

He looked at her and sneered. "You're beneath me. What you think doesn't matter. You're a fucking freaky … thing of a something … a fucking fangbanger … a dead fucker … you're nothing but a piece of …"

Before he could say it, Steve Newlin was flying across the stage. He landed against the wall with a resounding thud. He shook his head as he tried to sit up.

"You're going to die tonight anyway," Eric said. "Speak ill of my wife again and you will suffer an even more agonizing death."

Sookie snuggled into Eric's side. "Do you not see?" she asked Newlin. "He loves me. He is my husband." She looked up at Eric as she continued speaking to Newlin. "He's my warrior, my Viking. He is my lover and my best friend. His is my very breath and my ever loving soul. He's everything. He's my protector just as I am his."

Eric's heart swelled with love and pride.

Newlin staggered to his feet as he continued shaking his head. When he regained his balance, he looked at Sookie with disgust in his eyes. "He doesn't know what love is. He's a vampire! What is wrong with you fucking idiots? Vampires don't love anyone. They can't! They're dead!"

Rasul came up behind Steve and whispered in his ear. "You're human and you love no one. You didn't even love your wife. You sent a lamb into the lion's den and now she's dead." He looked at Sookie and nodded. "Your brother … he is dead and soon, well not as soon as you think but you will follow them to grave." He then grabbed Newlin by the back of his neck with such ferocity that he was no longer standing on the floor. "Justice will finally belong to us."

Sookie looked at Rasul and smile. "Where are the others that were a part of this … the ones that silvered my husband with shackles? Where are the ones that killed our kin with silver, stakes, and the sunlight?"

That's when Russell came through the doors with his usual flare and pizzazz. He was followed by Indira, Heidi, and Maxwell Lee. "They're heading to the compound. We didn't get a chance to get to them all but we will. Just give us a little time and we will have our retribution, dear friends."

Steve eyes widened with fear. He was surrounded by vampires and he had absolutely nowhere to go. "You can't kill me! Everyone's going to be looking for me. The cops, the FBI; everyone is going to be looking for me. They will come here looking for me. You have to let me go! I have to pay for my crimes."

The room was suddenly filled with laughter. The vampires had never laughed so hard. They were laughing so hard that bloody tears were streaming down their faces.

"Looking for you?" Bill asked.

Pam placed her hand on Newlin's shoulder and leaned in and kissed his earlobe. "No one's going to be looking for you here … ever." She pointed at the big television screen and said, "Look."

The vampires, Sookie, and Newlin looked at the big TV screen. Sookie almost cracked a rib she was laughing so hard. She couldn't believe who was reporting the nightly news.

"He is no longer in the facility. Steve Newlin has escaped," Thalia said into her microphone. She was dressed as a television reporter and she looked absolutely miserable. "The police are looking for him. He is said to be driving a black Mercedes; 2014 four door. Please be on the lookout. He is wanted for questioning by the United States government unit, the FBI."

The camera panned to Ryanne. She was furious. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked. "The coward has hauled ass?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Fucking coward. I hate a fucking coward. I swear on everything that I am that I will not rest until he has been found." Looking directly into the camera as if she was speaking to Steve Newlin himself, Ryanne made a solemn vow to him. "I will find you. I will have a story about you on my show every single night. I will interview every member that you've ever used to get what you to make sure that the world never forgets what you've done. I will flash your picture on the screen every night. I swear to you, Steve Newlin. Every. Single. Night. The world will know what kind of monster you are and what you've done. You will pay for your crimes."

When the camera panned backed to Thalia, she had a blank look on her face but the cheers from behind her spoke volumes. There were a few members that were being led away in handcuffs. People were throwing things at them. Calling them names. Yelling and degrading them. Their plan had worked. The supes were finally free to live their lives in peace. Everyone was happy. Everyone but Steve Newlin that is.

He couldn't believe his ears.

"So," Pam said. "I'm almost positive that no one's going to come here looking for you."

"I'm sure of it," Sookie confirmed.

"But I'm Steve Newlin," he said in a soft voice.

The vampires began to circle around him. Newlin's frail body slid down the wall that he'd just been thrown against.

"This is going to be fun," Bill said.

"I have so many plans for you," Pam said in Newlin's ear.

Russell cackled and clapped his hands together. He was as giddy as a teenage girl waiting on her first date. "I want to play too. I have so many ideas and new gadgets that we can use. I ordered them from that Dungeons of the 15th Century magazine and they were delivered just in time for our little party." Again, he clapped his hands."We are going to have so much fun."

"I want my turn," Sookie said as she looked into his eyes.

"And you will have it, my lover," Eric assured her. "We will play with him together."

"Promise?" Sookie asked as she looked up at him and smiled.

"I've never broken a promise to you," Eric said. "I don't intend to now." He leaned down and lovingly kissed her.

Newlin began to cry. "But I'm Steve Newlin."

"Yes you were," Eric said.


	89. Chapter 89

**I Remember You**

**I'm sorry to disappoint some of you but I'm not going to go into the details of Steve Newlin's torture but let's just say that he will be tortured for many, many years. He is not going to go quickly. It will be a painful and slow death. I give you my word. Our imaginations are wondrous things.**

**I've also done something in this chapter that I think Sookie should have done at least a million times when it comes to Eric. She never really did it … until now. I hope that ya'll enjoy it. **

**With that being said, I'm sad to say that this is the end of our journey. Ya'll have made it an absolutely wonderful one. The fact that you read my story sends me over the moon. Your reviews, your favorites, and your alerts were just gravy; the best gravy I've ever had I must say. Thank you so much for all that you have given me. Maybe you'll read it again if you're bored or in need of a little extra love. Thank ya'll so very much.**

**The characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the story idea belongs to me.**

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><p>Sookie stared at Sam as they stood in the middle of Rasul's celebration hall. He was extremely sincere with his many apologies. I could feel her calm and easiness as it flowed through our bond. Even if she weren't feeling those emotions, she still would've forgiven him. That's just the way she is. That's the way she's always been. It didn't surprise me in the least when she looked at him and smiled.<p>

"There's nothing to forgive, Sam," she said. "They were mistakes. People do and say things that they don't mean when they're hurt and angry. I know that when those things are said that you can't take them back but they can be forgiven. And you've been forgiven." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not angry and I don't regret anything that has happened between us. If those things hadn't happened, I wouldn't be standing here feeling as happy as I am. My life wouldn't the joyful noise that it is. I have my husband at my side where he belongs. We are deeply in love. We have our nieces and we're happy." She squeezed my hand as she talked to Sam.

"But what I've done," Sam began. "After all that I've said and done, how can you forgive me so easily? You considered me and friend and I betrayed you in the worst way. That night in my office, I hurt you, Sookie. I was cruel to you for absolutely no reason at all. I let my jealousy get the best of me. I wanted you for myself and I couldn't have you so I hurt you. I purposely hurt you. What I've done, the things that I've said …"

"Is why I'm here standing in front of you tonight," Sookie finished. She started to laugh. "Don't feel bad. I don't. I'm _glad_ that it happened, Sam. Can you imagine what our lives would've been like if that night hadn't happened? I'd still be stuck in Bon Temps living on that dead end road."

"Let me tell you something, Sam," Sookie started. "One night Freyda came to my house and said that she was going to take Eric away from me. She said that I was not good enough for him because I'm human. She said that she could give him so much more than I ever could. And for a second, just for a second, I almost believed her.

"What if had believed her? What if I'd never fought for Eric? What if I'd let Freyda win? What if I'd gone to Fangtasia one night and decided to end my marriage to Eric without as much as a fight? Instead of following my heart, I would have probably settled for you. We would have been married and miserable. Our sex life would have been like two seals fucking," she shook her head as if she was completely disgusted.

I laughed at loudly as I could.

Once she was over her disgust, she continued on with her explanation as of why she was happy with the way things turned out. "I wouldn't condemn my worst enemy to life a misery much less someone that I consider to be a friend."

Sam almost looked offended and hurt by the truth that Sookie was speaking. "I'm not that bad." It's almost as if he didn't hear any of the other things that she said.

Sookie laughed. "No, you're not but you wouldn't and you couldn't have made me happy. You couldn't have given me the life that I want. I didn't want to spend my life serving beers and fried pickles to a bunch of drunken idiots that didn't even like me. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life listening to their ugly thoughts and if you truly loved me as you claimed you did, you wouldn't have wanted that for me either."

Sam's face fell as he listened to Sookie's words.

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're a good person, Sam but the life that you had was what _you_ wanted. Merlotte's and Bon Temps are meant for you. They are your dream. They are your reality. They're not mine," she said as she shook her head. "That wasn't the life for me. That's not what I wanted for me."

She removed her hand from his shoulder and placed it in mine. "And you, Sam. You can't tell me that you would've been happy with me. You shouldn't have to settle for being someone's right now. You should want to be someone's always; just as Eric is to me, just as Eric has always been to me. You deserve better than what I would have given you … nothing. A life with me would have been a life of misery for you because I _didn't_ love you like that. I _don't_ love you like that. I've _never_ loved you like that. I've only ever loved you as a friend. You wouldn't have been happy because I could have never given all of me to you because I've always belonged to someone else; not to Bill and not to you. My heart has always been with Eric. Always," she concluded.

She looked up at me with her eyes filled with love. And from the look on Sam's face, he knew that Sookie would have never looked at him the way that she looks at me. He now knows that she would have never loved him the way that she loves me. For the first time since accepting our relationship, he seems to realize that with me is where Sookie belongs.

"And you're right, Sam," she said. "Right here, right now; this is where I'm supposed to be. This is _my_ life." She began to smile and said, "This is our life. It's always been me and Eric. I wouldn't have it any other way. It can't be any other way. Our love has been written in the stars."

Sam looked at me and nodded his head. "I've only ever wanted you to be happy, Sookie. I never believed that Eric could make you happy but I was wrong. I'm sorry for always trying to get in the way of your happiness. I'm sorry for not seeing what you never tried to hide from me. I've always only ever wanted for you to be happy."

"And I am, Sam," Sookie confirmed. "I am. And I've only ever wanted for you to be happy for me because you were my friend."

"And I am, Sookie." He nodded as smiled at her.

I pulled my lover deeper into my side. This time I looked into the shifter's eyes. I needed to let him know that no one was going to destroy what Sookie and I have built. "No one can or will tear us apart, shifter. I am the one that is meant for her. I was meant to find her. A thousand years of living and I've met hundreds of women and none of them can compare to my wife. No one can ever compare to her. She is the one for me. She is the only one for me. She is and has always been meant for me. That's the way it's supposed to be. I am hers and she is mine. This is our life."

Sam nodded as he ran his hand through his messy mane of hair. "I'm sorry that I didn't see it sooner and I'm happy with having your friendship, Sookie and Eric." He offered us his hand. Sookie shook it. I didn't. He knows that vampires don't shake hands. Even after heartfelt apologies such as his, we still don't shake hands.

Before I could give him the many reasons why I wasn't going to shake his hand, Sookie nudged me with her elbow. "Don't be rude, Eric."

I stared at Sam's hand for a few seconds. "It is against vampire etiquette to shake hands and you know this, Sam Merlotte." So instead of a handshake, I gave him a slight nod.

"Eric, come on," Sookie said. "You know, Sam."

"And he knows me," I stated. "I don't shake hands with anyone but you and the children. Sam," I said as I gave him another nod. "If that is not sufficient enough then so be it."

He and Sookie laughed. "Hell, I'm happy to get that. Eric has been more than generous with me when it comes to his time and his forgiveness."

"I have," I agreed.

Sookie shook her head and rolled her eyes at my statement and pulled me by my hand and away from Sam. "Come on and dance with me. Goodnight, Sam." She waved at him over her shoulder as we walked away.

As soon as we were on the dance floor and my arms were around her, the troubles of the world were gone. There was no Sam. Steve Newlin wasn't locked away in the dungeon waiting to be carried back to Louisiana. There were no other dancers on the floor. There was no one but us.

"This is nice," Sookie whispered. She held her face up to me and licked her lips. Without pause, I tasted them. I melted into them. They are sweeter than the sweetest of bloods.

"My 'college' reunion is just a month away. Would you like to be my date?" Sookie asked me as she broke the kiss. "We're free. We don't have to worry about Newlin or any of the other assholes. Foster can watch the girls. Our vampires can be on guard. We'll have an entire week to ourselves. I can show my husband off of to my sorority sisters; my sexy husband."

"I'd be honored to go with you," I said as I leaned in for another sweet taste of her mouth. Her full lips were all that I needed at the moment. She is all that I'll ever want.

As we slowly and unwillingly released the other's lips, I looked down at my lover's face. "You are my world, Sookie."

"And you are mine," she said as she smiled. "Would it be okay if everyone in this room disappeared? There would be no one here but you and me." She rested her head to my chest and sighed.

"They're already gone, lover," I said as I kissed the top of her head.

"I've missed this much."

That's when I felt a searing pain fill me.

I held Sookie at arm's length and looked down at her. "What is this that I feel, my lover?"

Without hesitation, she answered. "Anguish, despair, fear, and longing; it's the pain that I felt when you were taken away from me; from us. It's everything that you felt when I was gone for those five years. It is what I felt when you were gone for no more than two weeks." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I felt so lonely and lost without you. I'm so sorry," she said as she wrapped her arms tightly around me.

I wanted to take her fears away and replace them with love and calm. I wanted to make everything better for her but I knew that it would have only upset her. I remember the last time I tried doing that. She screamed at me that I couldn't do that. She said that she has to feel what she's feeling. Since I couldn't protect her as I'd wanted to, I did the next best thing.

I wiped her tears away and I held her. I stroked her hair and caressed my lover's back as we swayed easily to the music. She then looked up at me. Her face was blank but her eyes weren't. They were filled with so much emotion.

"What's …?" I began. When she shook her head, I stopped speaking.

"There's so much that I have to say to you. There is so much that I _need_ to say to you. There are things that I've should've said to you before and after we killed Victor … before Freyda and Felipe, and before all of this Steve Newlin shit. You need to hear this. You deserve it."

I gave her a slight nod and said, "Okay, lover. I'm all ears."

And with those words, Sookie was off and running. "There are so many memories that I'd forgotten and so many of them are of you. So many of them flooded my mind while we were talking with Sam and they were all of you. I know now that some of my earlier memories were _severely_ distorted but tonight, I saw the truth. You were there when I was in the hospital and Rene Lenier attacked me. You were there during every situation with Bill and after Bill." She began to laugh. "You have _always_ been there; even when I didn't want you to be, even when I was too blind to see what was standing right in front of me, _you_ were there. I didn't deserve you."

I was speechless.

"You have nothing to say," she said as if she was surprised. "Pam would be enjoying this. Maybe I should call her over here so that she can enjoy it. You'd probably never have to buy her another pair of shoes, ever if you let her see you speechless. Your credit card could get some rest. Wait a minute; let me get her over here." She opened her mouth as to call her over but I stopped her.

I laughed heartily and placed my hand over her mouth. "She would relish this feat but she will have to experience this at another time. Tell me, lover. Please continue with what is on your mind," I said as I removed my hand from her mouth.

"Thank you," she said simply.

My normally empty face was twisted into a frown. "Is that it?"

This time, she filled the air with laughter. "Yeah," she answered. "Thank you."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "I'm intrigued."

Shaking her head, she said, "There's no reason to be. It's been a long time coming. I just want to say thank you. I _need_ to say thank you. Thank you for loving me and taking care of me. Thank you, Eric, for always being there for me even when I was supposed to belong to someone else. Thank you for forgiving me for my many, many mistakes. Even when I doubted your feelings for me, you stayed true to me. You did everything in your power to keep me safe." She giggled. "And I didn't make it easy for you."

"No, you did not," I agreed. "You have always been strong willed and determined. That's what drew me to you."

"I know," she said. She then threw her arms out and up into the air and yelled, "You are so fucking amazing to me! You are the most loving husband that any woman would be lucky to have! You are so fucking wonderful! And I love you! I'll always love you, Eric Northman! I love you! I love you! I love you!" She then spun around in a circle and started giggling.

The vampires, shifters and Weres that were surrounding us, stopped what they were doing and stared at my wife as she professed her gratitude and undying love for me. The vampires that don't know my wife, they looked at her as if she'd gone mad. The Weres and shifters were whispering. They were amused. Our vampires were smiling. Pam and Bill eased their way away from the bar to stand closer to where Sookie and I were. Indira and Thalia were standing to the right of us while Maxwell, Mustapha and Heidi stood to the left of us. Though this was a joyous and weird occasion, my most trusted were on alert and they were ready.

Once she'd stopped twirling, Sookie looked up at me and into my eyes. She began to stagger a little as she talked. "Thank you for being my touchstone during everything; especially when my brother was murdered. Thank you for taking my nieces in as if they were yours. Thank you for supporting me in everything that I've done. The things that I've done may have angered you but your love for me has never wavered. _You_ have never wavered." She then placed her hand to heart and said, "I especially want to thank you for forgiving my deceit."

That was when the room was completely silent. Pam and Bill stared at each other with raised eyebrows. Everyone else had blank faces and curious eyes. Sookie still didn't notice that we were being watched. Either she didn't notice or she didn't care. My guess is that she didn't care. She wasn't ashamed of loving me and she wanted everyone to know it.

"I never knew that I had to die in order to accept who and what I am. For five years, you suffered because of me and you waited for me to return to you. I didn't deserve that loyalty after what I'd done but I'm so grateful for it. And I will do everything in my power for every day of my life to prove to you that you did not make a mistake." As she talked, tears streamed down her face. "Thank you for waiting on me while I was in Faery."

I'd never seen surprised vampires before tonight. I've always said that my wife is intriguing and surprising. That pleases me because no one ever surprises me anymore. After a thousand years on this earth, I've seen almost everything there is to see. And normally, I'd be over the moon because she's remembered her past but not tonight. Tonight, she was saying a little too much. The supes that aren't a part of our retinue didn't need to know where or who she was with while she was gone.

"Sookie, don't." I tried warning her but pointless to say, my lover didn't listen to me.

"It's okay," she said. She finally looked around the room at the many faces that were watching us. "I'm not going to hide who I am anymore. I'm not ashamed of who or what I am. I was in Faery and I'm a Brigant. I'm the last living faery princess of my people."

"You know?" I whispered.

She nodded. "I know. I saw Niall while you were gone and it all came back to me. I was there to learn of my people. I was the teacher of the Fae children. I thought that I was there to be reborn; to be a new and improved Sookie Stackhouse but no. I was there so that I could learn to accept every part of me; even the bad parts, the awful and shameful parts." She then shook her head. "I was so stupid, so naïve. Until you were gone, taken away from me, I never realized that everything that I ever was and am was as it should be. I'm sorry that I had to leave you in order to learn what I should've already known. "

I gave her a half smile. "You've been forgiven."

"I know," she said. "I just needed to say it. You needed to hear it. As I told Sam earlier, this is our life."

Staring into my eyes as she gripped my hands into hers, she said, "You are my life, Eric Northman and I love you. I love you _so_ very much. You are the sun and the moon. You are the very heartbeat within me. To me, you are everything. Thank you so much, for loving me as much as you do. And I promise to make you happy for everyday of our lives together."

I took my wonderful and beautiful wife into my arms and kissed her as I've never kissed her before. She laughed in my mouth as she returned my kisses. She threw her arms around my neck and held onto me. Pretty soon, my wife and I were literally floating on air. I didn't know whether she'd done it or if it was me. I didn't really care. We didn't care that we were being watched. We didn't care that they could see that we are the others vice. We were happy. Everything was as it should be..

For only a second, she broke the kiss and said, "Now, get me to the nearest bed. We have a lot of catching up to do."

As I cradled my wife into my arms, I did as she asked. What else is a loving husband supposed to do? After all, this is our life.

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><p><strong>0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0<strong>

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><p>We stood in the middle of the bedroom and stared at each other. We'd both been aching for this moment; especially me. I'd gone so long without him. I wanted him more than anything in this world. I so desperately wanted hear say it. My insides ached to hear him say it.<p>

"My lover," he whispered. His voice was as dark as midnight. Those two words washed over me and sent chills throughout my body. I had a mini orgasm just at the very sound of those words coming from his mouth.

I reached up and pulled the clip from my hair as I let it fall over my shoulders. I kicked my heels to the other side of the room as I stared at him.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

I reached behind me and unzipped my gown. I let it fall to the floor and gather around my feet. My breasts were soon on display and puckered as the cool air lightly kissed them.

He growled low in his throat and took a single step towards me.

That was all it took. With nothing but my panties on, I went to him and my warrior swept me up into his arms; his mouth claiming mine once again. We were both filled with desire. I moaned against his mouth as I slid down his body and out of his arms. I began tugging at his tuxedo jacket; jerking off of his shoulders and pulling it down his arms. As soon as it was off, I let it fall to the floor.

I shook my head in frustration. "I don't know why we bothered to go to that damned celebration. All of these clothes," I grumbled as I fumbled with the buttons on his shirt.

Eric chuckled as he looked down at me. "Take your time, lover."

"To hell with that," I exclaimed. Before I knew it, I'd ripped the buttons from his shirt and tore the shirt from his body. I sighed happily as I admired the most magnificent body I'd ever seen. I kissed and licked ever inch of it.

Eric then lifted me in his arms and cupped my bottom with his hands. As he carried me to the bed, he began to kiss and lick on my nipples. Once he had me on the bed, my little black panties were miraculously gone and completely shredded into nothing.

When Eric removed himself from my body, I used my elbows as props to see where he was going. He stood at the foot of the bed as he began to undress. I watched as his muscles rippled in his chest and arms as he removed those confining pants and even more confining underwear. He then climbed onto the bed with me.

Spreading my legs with his hips, he leaned in and kissed me deeply. "I missed you, Sookie. I don't care for being without you."

"You've got me now," I replied sultrily. "Do with me what you will."

"And I will," he answered. His words were almost whispers as he licked and kissed his way down my body. He pushed the girls together as he took my nipples into his mouth and sucked them gently, softly and before I knew it, he bit. It sent ripples and waves through me. I could feel my blood as it flowed through him.

"Again," I moaned.

"No!" he hissed. He looked at me with the hungriest eyes. Instead of biting into my nipple, he tongued them both; switching back and forth. My warrior had me gasping for breath. My hand was gently pressed against his head as I thrust my breast forward and into his waiting mouth.

He gently kissed each nipple; lightly scraping his beautiful fangs across them as he licked his was down the flatness of my stomach. He reached my wetness but didn't taste me.

No.

That would've been too easy. He kissed the outside of it and the lips of my wetness, making sure that he tortured me just enough to keep me begging for more.

"Don't tease me, Eric," I whimpered. "Please don't tease me."

With those words, he opened my legs wider and slid one finger deep inside of me. I threw my head back as I cupped my breasts and pinched my nipples as he tormented me. Tortured me.

Eric then ran his tongue through my wetness. The familiar feel of his tongue caused my body to shiver uncontrollably. He licked long and slow. My warrior savored the taste of me as he moaned my name over and over again. He swirled his tongue around my swollen nub. And without warning he wrapped his lips around my nub as he thrust three fingers inside of me.

My orgasm claimed me.

That's when he kissed and licked the inside of my thigh. With his fingers still working in and out of me, he bit. I was helpless and completely lost. He fed from me as a second orgasm sent me further over the edge.

When he'd had his fill, Eric withdrew his fingers from inside of me and kissed his way back up to my mouth. The taste of my blood and wetness coated our mouths. He then positioned himself over me and without much effort, he slid his hardness inside of me; as deep as it would go. I grabbed his ass and I tried to force more of him inside of me.

As he thrust in and out of me, I could feel the tears as they began to fill my eyes. Love, pleasure and need overwhelmed me as we became one again. We were whole again. I could feel Eric in every inch of my body and soul. I've never known such pleasure.

With his forehead resting on mine, we looked into each other eyes. "This is perfect," I whispered; the unfallen tears finally made an appearance. "You are perfect."

He smiled at we continued to make love.

"I love you," I said as I began to swirl my hips around on his hardness.

Still looking into my eyes, he said nothing. He kissed me tenderly and began to make love to me with long, easy strokes. The easier he made love to me, the wetter I became. I opened my legs wider as I wrapped them around his waist, begging him to go deeper, harder. I then broke the kiss.

"Feed from me, baby. Feed from me and claim me," I growled in his ear.

"My lover," he growled. His lips fit perfectly in the curve of my neck. He sank his fangs into my skin and at that very second my body shuddered with pure ecstasy.

"Oh, Eric," I moaned. "More! Give me more!"

I soon had him on his back and I was riding him as hard and as fast as I could. His hands were cupping my ass, guiding me on his hardness. I continued to ride him as I leaned forward and kissed and licked his neck. Soon, my warrior rolled his head to the side and braced himself for my impending bite.

When my teeth pierced his skin, Eric roared out as he reached his orgasm. He grabbed my hips and went deeper than he's gone before inside of me.

Still straddling him and with him inside of me, I fell forward and rested my head on his chest. And then out of the blue I began to giggle. Eric soon followed suit.

"Happy?" he asked.

"I am," I answered. "We are."

"Yes, we are."

I tried rolling onto my side of the bed but Eric stopped me.

"No, lover," he said quickly as he wrapped his arms around me. "I want to hold you. I want to feel your heartbeat."

I snuggled down into him and closed my eyes. "This is good."

"This is right," he added.

"The girls will be happy to see you," I told him. "They've really missed you; especially Adele. She said that she has a new story to read to you."

Eric laughed as he traced his finger along my spine. "She's under the impression that I've never heard of Dr. Seuss." I could feel the smile widen on his face. "I miss them too."

I began to yawn. "It'll be dawn in a couple of hours."

"Well you get your rest," he replied in a soft voice. "I will lay here and look at you. I want to watch you as you sleep. I want to hear you breath."

I raised my head and gave him a sweet kiss. "Who's going to get the light?"

"You're on top of me," Eric said in his matter of fact tone.

I sat up and looked at him. "You wouldn't let me move," I proclaimed.

"You're a faery," he said. "You can pop right over there and pop right back a lot quicker than I can."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's true but I'm so weak after that magnificent bout of love making that I can't move. You know how hard it is for me to get my bearings after you love me so good. My popping might little off."

"Good one," he said.

Within seconds, I was on my side of the bed. He'd blurred his way to turn off the lights. Once he was back in bed with me, he placed his arm underneath my head and again, he wrapped me up in his arms. I then wrapped my arms around arms.

"See, that was quick," I said.

"Lazy," he replied.

"Yeah, well," I said. I sighed as we held onto each other. "I never want to be without you again," I whispered. "We're going to be together forever. You're never going to get rid of me. I hope that you don't regret it 'cause you're stuck with the old ball and chain."

Eric turned me around so that I was facing him. "What are you saying, Sookie?"

"Nothing that you don't already know," I answered. "I'm yours forever."

"Are you saying that you want me to turn you?" he whispered.

Before I could answer him, he spoke up again. "I can't do that. I don't want to turn you. I want you as you are. I love smelling the sun on your skin and in your hair. I love the warmth of you … the sound of your beating heart. I love listening to you breathe are you sleep." He shook his head no. "I can't turn you. I want you as you are," he repeated.

"Really?" I asked.

He began to nod his head. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I won't be repulsed by your graying hair or your wrinkles. They won't matter to me because you'll still be my Sookie, my lover. Your appearance doesn't define you. Your heart, your soul; that's what I'm attracted to," he whispered.

I'd never felt so loved before in my life. I placed my hand on his face and smiled at him. "You don't have to turn me. I'm not going to die anytime soon. I'm not exactly human and I'm not exactly fae or daemon but as long as I have your blood, you'll have me forever … just as I am. I may age a little on down the line but I'll always be me."

"Good, because that's what I want," he proclaimed.

"Then that's what you'll get. Good night, Eric," I said. "I love you."

"And I love you, Sookie."

And then it happened.

I know that I'd only closed my eyes for thirty seconds. I swear that it was no more than thirty seconds but I'd seen a lifetime. I woke up in a cold sweat; tears were streaming down my face.

Eric sat up quickly. His fangs were down and he had me enveloped in his arms as he scanned the room. He checked the security box to be sure that he'd secured the room. Needless to say, he'd done that before we'd made love. He checked the windows. They were secured and drawn. Once he realized that we weren't in danger, he gave all of his attention to me.

"What's wrong, Sookie," he asked. "What has happened?"

"Niall," I whispered. "He's in the Summerlands." I turned to face Eric as tears continued to fall from my eyes. "He's been murdered."

* * *

><p><strong>I will post a new story to this but it will be on down the road. I have to finish the two other stories that I've started and need to finish. Enjoy. <strong>


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